GETTING BACK ON TRACK
Improving your health,
As anyone who’s ever attempted to commit to a new year’s resolution can attest, simply not falling off the wagon can be a feat.
Case in point: While 75 per cent of resolution-making Canadians hold to said goal(s) for the first week of the year, only 60 per cent remain committed by February. Fast-forward six months and a mere 40 per cent have managed not to cave.
But take heart, because although sticking to resolutions can be tough, recommitting yourself to a healthier lifestyle is entirely possible.
“Many people enter the new year with great enthusiasm and goals to improve their overall health and wellness,” says Andrea Buckingham, clinical wellness coach for The Summit Medical Fitness Center in Kalispell, Mont.
“Though that enthusiasm is often short lived, the key to getting started or back on track is to not just have an open-ended goal — like losing 30 pounds, for example — but to design a specific plan that will lead you toward the goal.”
That begins with identifying the steps needed to bolster success.
“Break it down into daily habits,” she says. For example, keep the fridge stocked with chopped fruit and veggies for snacks, replace ice cream with healthier alternatives such as frozen yogurt or sorbet, and cook chicken breasts on Sunday so you have protein that’s ready to be added to weekday lunches. “As you encounter the craziness of everyday life, these pre-planned steps make it easier to stay on track with your goals,” she adds.
Also worth noting when it comes to nutrition: It should be the first consideration you make when incorporating healthy changes into your lifestyle, says Jamie Wilkins, fitness general manager for INLIV in Calgary.
“Though nutrition and exercise go hand-in-hand, and integrating a proper exercise routine specific to your goals is ideal, how you fuel your body will affect your performance during training, and it’s important to tailor a healthy eating program that suits your individual needs.”
From a fitness standpoint, get back on track by setting small, attainable goals, and when you’ve met one, build on it, says Wilkins. “Instead of setting out to run a marathon, why not make a goal to walk vigorously every day for a month?
Once you’ve hit that goal, start jogging! And when it comes to weight training, incorporate more effective moves such as squats and deadlifts for the lower body, and pull-ups and push-ups for the upper body,” he says, adding that intense physical activity without prior training can harm the body and is really discouraging when your goals seem out of reach.
Similarly, Buckingham says that small additions to your already established routine — such as making a habit of going on daily 10-minute morning and after-dinner walks — can do much to boost results and overall endurance.
Finally, keep in mind that it takes an average of 21 days to build a habit, so if you find yourself slipping, consider adjusting your overall goals. Pay attention to your dietary habits, your mobility and co-ordination levels, and work on perfecting fundamentals to help your body train in the way it’s best able.
“I’m a proponent of fitness wearables such as Garmin, because they help us understand our progress, oftentimes before we see the physical results we strive for,” Wilkins says. “By adding this type of system that tracks small successes and achievements, motivation stays closer to those Jan. 1 highs, and health habits are better sustained for the long term.”