At the beginning of every year, countless people flock to the gym with fitness ambitions.
Still, it’s difficult for many people to make lasting changes to their wellness routine — and as quickly as they start, they may fall short of their New Year’s resolutions.
Fitness experts told DailyMail.com their top tips on how to make science-backed changes to your exercise regime that last longer than just the month of January.
The physiotherapist and sports doctor emphasized the importance of taking small steps towards your goals and ensuring you have a positive mind and environment.
Dr. Milica McDowell, a physical therapist and vice president at Gait Happens told this website: ‘To be successful at sticking to a new fitness regimen, there are three key, evidence-based strategies to ensure you’re still following your program (once) . The New Year’s resolutions have been worked out.’
To start, Dr. Michael Ormsbee, an exercise scientist at Florida State University, author of the book Changing Body Composition Through Diet and Exercise, recommends four concrete steps to create lasting change.
It starts, he said, with an honest assessment of how much you can personally handle. It is best to start small and build up gradually.
This includes making seemingly minuscule changes, such as adding a daily 10-minute walk or two strength training sessions per week.
Milica McDowell, a Montana physical therapist, recommended using a tracker, whether a digital device or journal, to catalog and organize your fitness routine
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He said, “Small steps reduce overwhelm and create habits that last.”
Next, Dr. Ormsbee said that as you get started with your plan, it’s important to focus on your performance, not just your body weight.
For example, focusing on the ease with which you can start lifting heavier and heavier weights is more productive than fixating on numbers on a scale.
Other metrics you can include in your plan include mileage times or completing a certain number of workouts each week.
He said: ‘Performance-based goals build confidence and motivation while shifting focus from scale.’
For his third tip, Dr. Ormsbee to look at your surroundings. If you’ve tackled your routine on your own in the past, consider joining an online group, taking group fitness classes, or signing up for a gym.
Surrounding yourself with supportive people who are equally motivated can help you stay accountable, he said. This ensures that you can maintain your routine longer.
Finally, Dr. Ormsbee recommends focusing on strength above all else. This does not necessarily mean that you join the ranks of powerlifters or bodybuilders.
Resistance training also includes things like bodyweight squats, balance exercises like planks and the use of resistance bands. He said incorporating two or three of these sessions a week can help increase muscle and speed up metabolism, fueling your energy to stay fit.
McDowell recommended tracking fitness goals through a digital tracker or other tool. This can help alleviate the stress of remembering your routine and allow you to track your progress with data
In closing, he said: ‘Consistency, accountability and self-responsibility are key: make sure you stand up for yourself and focus on progress, not perfection.’
Dr.’s tips Ormsbee echo some of the advice McDowell emphasized. The orthopedic physiotherapist has a three-pronged approach.
It starts with data. She recommends using a tracker, whether it’s a digital device or a journal, to catalog and organize your fitness routine.
Keeping track of your plan can help you feel more organized and clearer about a goal, making you more likely to stick to it.
She also said, “There are numerous studies showing that simply using a digital device to record your workout can increase your excitement to do the next workout and your adherence to the program.”
To achieve this, you can use the tracking apps built into your smartphone, you can work out a fitness planner on paper, or you can invest in technology built specifically for this purpose, such as a smartwatch from Garmin.
Both McDowell and Dr. Ormsbee recommend paying attention to factors that influence your motivation and mental well-being. Having a solid mental foundation makes it easier to stay consistent with physical goals
Then McDowell said it’s important to “pay attention to your workouts.”
This includes focusing on how your workout benefits your body while you’re doing it, and how your body works properly.
It’s important to appreciate what your body can do, even in the early days of your fitness journey, when you may be feeling weak, to stay motivated.
‘This may sound a bit ‘woo’, but it’s not. There are several scientific researchers focusing on this area, which is an exciting area to promote on those days when you’re not feeling super motivated.”
This includes a 2023 survey of the University of Bath. It reviewed 35 older studies and found that combining both mindfulness and a fitness regimen improved overall well-being better than practicing either thing alone.
Finally, McDowell recommends making an effort to get motivated through exercise as something that’s good for you, and not as a means to an end.
She said people who are motivated by a desire to care for themselves, rather than by external validation — such as losing weight to meet more stereotypical but unrealistic beauty standards — are more likely to stick to fitness or wellness goals.
This was demonstrated in a 2018 study from Oxford, which showed that survey participants with higher levels of self-motivation were more likely to have a consistent exercise routine.
McDowell said, “It’s great to post on social media to get encouragement and feedback, but doing it for external reasons makes it harder to stick to the program.”