fbpx

WHY PEOPLE AREN’T SUCCESSFUL AT STICKING TO A NEW WORKOUT ROUTINE IN JANUARY

A strong athletic, woman sprinter, running

1. They want quick results. This is a FALSE EXPECTATION. If your body has not been moving/exercising for a few years, why the heck would it bounce right back in a few weeks? It’s a new year, so give it 3 months to a year of your focus, to see results. Consistency is key so expect to feel results after working out consistently a few times a week for a few months. While it is fantastic to make goals, we want them to be achievable so that we’re not disappointed and give up.   

2. 80% of Americans get injured in the first 3 months of starting a new workout routine. This is due to people not knowing their tightnesses/weaknesses and failing to address them. Not addressing those issues often result in injury. Lower back, knee and shoulder issues are the most common. I’ve had all of them so I know how debilitating injury can be. This is why you need a long term plan of a year so that you don’t get discouraged and give up. 
 
3. Lack of self patience with progress. We need to honor ALL of the small moves towards health. Some days we can’t get to that class, run, workout, but stretching for 10 min that day is great and leads to your progress! Getting hurt is super frustrating, but can be addressed with the right coaching. 
 
4. Lack of a solid fitness routine. Here’s my routine: Tuesdays/Thursdays I take Ash’s noontime classes of lower and upper body strength and core training. On Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays I try to either run, go to the gym or take a spinning or TRX class down the street at RIDE Oakland. I aim to workout 5 days a week and usually hit about 3-4x. When I am coaching clients who haven’t worked out in a long time, I suggest 1-2 personal training sessions per week, 1-2 classes per week and one day of cardio (walking, running or a machine). This plan usually translates into 2-3 workouts per week. 

5. All or nothing. This approach has zero balance to it. Balance is the other challenge to health. We tend to go all in or nothing at all. It is much harder to stay consistent with your workouts than it is to go to one really hard workout once a week and do nothing else all week. Stretching, foam rolling and movement are important to sustaining the other workouts during the week. 

So make a FEASIBLE plan that you can stick to and give yourself at least 3 months of it to see a change. A change can mean more flexibility, feeling stronger, having more energy, sleeping better, being in a better mood more often, improved self-esteem and fitting into your clothes better. YOU GOT THIS!