Health and fitness: A few key steps for a healthier 2023
A new year resolution on average only lasts for seven weeks. But a few simple tricks can help you reach a consistently healthier 2023.
Change is tough, but for most, it just sticking to our goals that’s the hardest. Other things start to take priority and life can get hectic.
For real change you need to take baby steps, change may be slow but it’s achievable.
Metro.co.uk speaks to Mandy Wong Oultram – a personal trainer and nutrition coach at FlexFit.
‘My main goal is to help people fall in love with training by showing them how fitness can fit into their busy lifestyles.
‘I want you to be motivated to exercise and eat healthily way beyond March when everyone else has ditched their resolutions!
‘So much so that this is the last year ever that “fitness” is a New Year’s resolution for you!’
Here are some of Mandy’s hacks for a fitter and healthier 2023.
Find why you want to get fitter
Motivation can be hard, especially if you don’t know what your goal is or why you’re doing something.
Wong Oultram says: ‘Dig deep into your mind to work out why you want to exercise more. Write it down and refer back to it when you’re feeling unmotivated (because, yes, we all have off days!).’
It may be worth writing down the benefits of getting fit and healthy. Wong Oultram says: ‘The benefits of exercise are well documented, but this is your list. Write down what’s important to you.’
Be realistic and stay consistent
It takes 66 days to change a habit. So being realistic about how quickly you can see change and remaining consistent even if you feel like you can’t see any change is important.
Stay consistent in your approach.
‘If you’re struggling to maintain your momentum in the first month, try to stick with it, and you should find the change of lifestyle becomes a lot easier by the end of the second month,’ advises Mandy.
Create manageable targets
Mandy says to aim for targets that you have an eight out of ten change of doing.
‘If your average daily step count is 5,000, rather than having your goal as 10,000 and not making it, set a target for say 6,000 and work out how you will walk your extra steps easily,’ she suggests.
Schedule your workouts
A solid piece of advice for helping to foster change in fitness is creating a schedule for working out. Create a weekly schedule and stick to it, if you can stick to the same time every workout session.
‘Put exercise in your diary around your other commitments,’ Mandy recommends. ‘Plan for when you are least likely to abandon the idea, such as first thing in the morning.’
Drink water
It’s probably one of the most mentioned when talking about getting fitter but it can easily be skipped. Drinking plenty of water has massive benefits – so why is it so easy to forget?
Mandy suggests you get in the habit of taking your bottle with you everywhere and adding orange or lemon pieces to add some flavour.
