It’s a new year, and the start of the year often means many of us are focused on improving our physical health through diet and exercise. Your goal could be to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, or even just to feel better. If you haven’t been to the gym for some time but have recently started to workout, you might feel some soreness in your body from this newfound lifestyle, or feel discouraged if you haven’t seen results yet. Don’t give up! We’ve put some tips and tricks together below so that you can set yourself up for success for the rest of the year.

1. Be realistic with your goals.

Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself is not the best approach to achieving fitness or health goals. Taking on too much and expecting overnight results will not work out for you in the long haul. We know that you can’t lose 100 pounds without first losing one! Begin your journey with small, attainable goals that you can achieve throughout your day. Here’s a list of some practical things that you can begin doing right now to improve your physical health:

• Drink a glass of water to hydrate.
• Stretch your body for 5 minutes.
• Go outside for fresh air and vitamin D.
• Include fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• Spend 20 to 30 minutes exercising each day. 

Pro tip: If you’re intimidated by the idea of using machines at the gym or following a workout plan, you can go on a walk in your neighborhood or do some stretching in the backyard. You don’t have to go to the gym to start improving your health and how you feel.

2. Plan ahead.

Without a plan for our day, we would walk around aimlessly and get absolutely nothing done! This applies to new resolutions, too. Without a plan, you are likely to fail at reaching your goal. The good news is that you can customize your plan to be as vigorous or as low-key as you want! Some examples of planning for success include:

• Planning which days you workout: do you go to the gym, the pool, your backyard?
• Planning which parts of the body you want to work out that day.
• Meal prepping to ensure you have healthy meals available during the week.
• Set aside time for self-care and recovery periods during your week.
• Be sure to include time for your special events, family, or hobbies that you love!

Pro tip: Keep a separate calendar for your diet and exercise regimen and notes. You will stay more organized and as a result, be more efficient when it comes to putting your new habits to the test.

3. Be patient.

Some people give up on their resolutions because they have been working so hard, but are not seeing results. It takes time to implement new habits and essentially, create a new lifestyle for yourself. Show yourself grace by being patient with seeing the results you’re looking for. Here are some helpful tips so that you don’t become impatient while reaching your goals:

• Track your progress. Keep up with where you started and how you’re doing now. You’ll see how much closer you are to your end goal and you will be able to appreciate the transformative journey!
• Have an accountability partner. Having someone to support you from the beginning can be game-changing! On your rough days they can lift you up, reminding you of where you started and where you are going.
• Don’t compare yourself to others. Comparing yourself to the progress of others can get you into trouble! Everybody is different. We all have a range of chemical makeups, metabolisms, and genetics. A lot of these things you can not control. Focusing on what you can control will help you keep your head in the game.

Pro tip: You don’t want to rush your goals. It’s best to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds a week. Generally to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular physical activity. Of course, consult with your physician before implementing any new workouts or diets into your daily practice.

4. Reward yourself.

One of the biggest mistakes we make when trying to work on our physical health is that we don’t reward ourselves for our accomplishments. We push our bodies and minds to painful limits, but do not take the time to reward our hard work. Some small yet impactful things you can do to reward yourself are:

• Plan a small reward for every small goal you hit. Incentives are great motivators! For example, every five pounds you lose, you treat yourself! Maybe you go to the movie theater, plan a shopping trip with your friends, or spend time on the golf course. 
• When you hit large goals, the ones you didn’t think you’d make, plan a celebration. Celebrate your hard work with a party, a vacation, or a night on the town. Make it big! You made big things happen.
• Make an appointment with your local chiropractor! Make sure that your body is balanced and working in prime condition so that your physical goals can become reality.

We are dedicated to helping you reach your New Year’s Resolutions! Reward yourself today by making an appointment at our office. It’s important that the repeated physical stress on your body through working out is performed correctly, or it can lead to serious injury. We encourage you to be careful not to end up with injuries such as pulled muscles, shoulder or knee injuries, and wrist and ankle injuries. 

If you are experiencing any pain from your workouts, please reach out to us. Our doctors can contribute to the improvement of your physical health, and we are always here to support you on your journey to feel and become better! Give us a call today to schedule a consultation appointment.