How to Keep Healthy Exercise Habits in The New Year

It’s traditional at the start of the New Year to set forth new goals for yourself. It’s logical that improved health and fitness make the wish list of many. But a busy life often interferes with making your plans a reality. 

Converting your workout goals into ongoing healthy exercise habits isn’t easy. At Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, P.C., we want to help you achieve your health and fitness objectives. We’ve gathered some thoughts and ideas on how to keep healthy exercise habits active throughout the New Year and beyond. 

Structure your goals

A common pitfall of resolutions is the overreaching and unrealistic nature of their ambition. It’s okay to set running a marathon as a goal. However, if the goal-setter is 35 years old and hasn’t run since college, several intermediate steps come before that first race. 

Your first step might be a fitness or sports performance evaluation with us to assess your current capabilities. Setting real and attainable goals helps you to create a pattern of success that keeps you motivated throughout the year. 

Rethink the timing of workouts

It’s great to commit to regular workouts at the gym until the first time you miss a session and get the feeling you’ve taken on more than you can handle. A 45-minute session at the gym can quickly balloon to twice that with commuting, changing, and showers. 

It’s much easier to find 15-20 minute blocks of time several times in your day, at home or work. Multiple sessions give you more energy throughout the day and better long-term results than a single gym session.

Don’t measure success in body weight

You can lose body fat but gain weight in muscle, so the scale isn’t the perfect measure of your exercise success. While pounds and inches are relevant goals, they’re not exclusive definitions of fitness. Consider how you feel, increase your strength and endurance, and improve your game if you’re a sports enthusiast. Health is a big-picture concept. 

Build in exercise

Activity doesn’t need to happen in gym clothes. Building your daily step count is a way to add sustainable activity to your day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the far side of the lot, or simply walk around a favorite park or neighborhood. Fitness trackers make tracking your data easy and help increase your daily performance in manageable increments. 

Your fitness resolutions should fit your life if you want to convert them into ongoing habits. Ask our team for sustainable, healthy living tips that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. 

Our team at Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, P.C., stands by to help. Request an appointment online or call our Lawrenceville, New Jersey, office directly.