A new year is about new starts
The New Year is here! And with the arrival of a new year, many of us reset our health goals that involve exercise. Success in reaching your goals begins with STARTING. And if you start to stray from your goals, it is equally important to hit the RESTART BUTTON! Barriers to exercise can be eliminated with simple strategies.
If you are not sure where or how to start and exercise routine, register for a FREE 14-day trial of the SimpliMove.health APP, where you can select one of the 2022 Challenge programs for the New Year!
New Year’s goals should involve exercise
Most of us recognize that we need to be physically active on a regular basis to achieve optimal health. Despite a wealth of scientific evidence that identifies profound benefits of regular exercise on physical and mental health, consistent exercise habits remain difficult to achieve.
What are the barriers to your exercise goals for 2022?
- Uncertainty about what to do or where to start. Many people are not sure what to do, what is safe, or how to progress.
- Procrastination. Many people postpone or fail to initiate a regular exercise routine, especially for those with busy schedules. It is much easier to start ‘tomorrow’ …yet the tomorrow never arrives.
- Exaggerated goals. A common barrier to regular exercise is setting the goal too high. Many people formulate unrealistic plans that are doomed to fail in the short term because of unachievable and unrealistic goals.
How can you achieve your exercise goals for 2022?
The answer is simple: Start Small.
- START. Schedule and prioritize your exercise. Allocate a specific time each day for exercise that is sacred and uninterruptible. If you are already active, choose an activity you have not had the confidence to tackle previously.
- SMALL. Formulate a modest, achievable goal. Err on the side of “less” than “more.” It is much better to be successful at small steps than to overstep. Once you are experience small “wins”, you can build from that foundation. Your confidence will grow with successes, and you will experience “ramping up” instead of “spiraling down.”
No matter what stage you find yourself in your exercise habits, focus on small incremental steps and goals. This will allow your body time to adapt to the increased physical demands. As an example, my ambitions have varied over the years, but I have been most successful at achieving my exercise goals in small and doable steps. Read an example about one of my swimming aspirations several years ago.
So where do I start?
Start here with the SimpliMove.health APP and a free 14-day trial to kick-start your year. Once you register, you can search for the 2022 New Year’s 7-Day Challenge program within the “Challenges” category.
The seven exercises we have chosen are physically achievable and will encourage you to form a 7-day exercise habit. Once you have achieved this goal, try several of our other programs that help support the habit you have initiated!
The only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, finally you’ll finish.
Langston Hughes, The Big Sea