Autumn is a great time to set yourself new goals; if you’ve enjoyed the summer parties a little too much, getting back in to fitness can be a daunting prospect.
Autumn is the perfect time to start forming good habits ahead of the festive season and all its temptations. By the time December arrives you’ll already be noticing physical differences so will be less inclined to sink back in to your old ways.
Here are our top ways to get you back in to fitness this Autumn:
Change your focus
Too many people are obsessed with exercising purely for weight loss. For lots of people this is an excellent motivator but it often presents peaks and troughs in achievements. Often people notice weight gain when they begin exercising and so the temptation to give up and think ‘what’s the point?’ can be too great. So, what’s the answer? Change your focus. Make it more about being fit than being thin. Think about the benefits to your health and well-being and the greater benefits this offers than just being ‘thin’.
Set yourself a goal
It seems obvious, but having a physical goal can make a massive difference to your level of commitment to keeping fit. If you’ve got something to work toward in a set time, you can plan your fitness and celebrate each little achievement along the way. If you are just drifting along it can be easy to let old habits creep back in and ‘I’m going to give the gym a miss tonight’ turns in to a regular pattern and sends you straight back to square one. Pretty much any fitness activity has potential for you to set yourself a goal, whether it’s running your first 5k or perfecting a seriously bendy move in yoga.
Mix it up
If you’re a runner and have lost your mojo, or if you are swimmer who can’t face the thought of swimming another length, find something else to capture your interest. The old expression ‘a change is as good as a rest’ certainly applies to fitness. It shouldn’t be about punishing yourself and not enjoying your workout (unless that’s your motivation of course!), it should be about enjoying dedicating some time to yourself which benefits you in the long term. Plus, if you find something you enjoy you are much more likely to stick with it.
Find a fitness buddy
Sometimes going solo can be intimidating; who really likes turning up at a fitness class on their own or hitting the weights bench in a gym for the first time without a bit of moral support? Nobody we can think of. As well as company and to encourage you to try out new things, a fitness buddy gives you the extra push you might not give yourself. If you’re near to completing your first mile it’s too easy to think ‘I nearly got there, well done’, rather than ‘come on, just a little bit further’.
If you’ve got any tips on getting back in to fitness, email us.