5 Habits of People Who Stay Fit and Healthy all year round - Personal Trainer in Southampton

Written By Marek Downing

Certified Online Health and Fitness Coach

Let’s face it, getting into shape for a big event or a holiday is relatively easy. All you have to do is knuckle down for a few weeks, maybe a few months, to get the job done. But what happens when you reach that goal? Everything rapidly changes. The incentive and drive isn’t there, and you’re left chasing your tail until the same time next year.

So, how do people stay in shape all year round? You’ll probably find that it’s not as difficult as you think. Changing your mindset around your Health and Fitness is what is going to make this a lifelong change and not just for the summer.

So here is what you need to do!

Develop A Consistent Routine

You’re going to get far but better results if you do the small things consistently rather than the big things inconsistently. Most people overestimate what they need to do to get good results.

In a desperate attempt to work towards a particular event, people tend to throw themselves in, all guns blazing. Then the thought of going back to that just fills them with of dread. Whereas if you were to dial it down a little, make it more manageable and something that can fit into your daily routine consistently, you’ll find that the results are going to last a lot longer.

Stay Active

Activity is something we take for granted now. In the past, walking to the shops wouldn’t have been that much of an issue. Now in the world of instant home deliveries it can be seen as quite a chore.

To stay in shape throughout the year, you don’t need to kill yourself on the treadmill or go to the gym every evening. Don’t get me wrong, including exercise in your routine will reward you with a host of benefits, but it needs to be part of a routine that suits your lifestyle and is something you enjoy.

Setting yourself a daily step count, something that is easily manageable, is a great way to keep you moving every single day of the year.

Keep Things Varied

Once you start getting more involved with exercise, whether that be cardio, weights or mobility, you’ll have a better idea of how your body moves and the types of things you enjoy.

If you’ve started doing body weight exercises, you might want to start incorporating resistance training with the weights in the gym. After that, you might find that your body will move better with a bit of mobility. If you get into running, you’ll find that your recovery will be improved with a some stretching. Being in tune with how your body moves will give you a vast array of training principles to work with, so you’ll never get bored.

Stop Thinking About What You Look Like

Yes, looking good is really important In terms of our self-confidence and proof of all the hard work we’re doing. But if you focus on this entirely, you’re going to lose sight of what’s really important.

Feeling stronger, building more resilience, creating a balance between health, fitness and your personal life. So many people don’t even think about these things, but the reality is, developing these attributes will keep you driving forward all year long. What you look like is just the by product of that.

Use non scale victories to monitor your progress and start thinking not only about how you look. Think about how maintaining your health and fitness routine is making you feel, as well as all the other benefits it is bringing to your life.

Adaptability

A year is a long time to stay in shape. Various events come up. Summer holidays. Christmas, New Year and on top of that injuries happen. Perhaps you fall out of love with one type of exercise or winter hits and that comfort eating strikes again.

So many things can act as potential obstacles in your way, so it’s important to pivot and adapt to stay in the game. If you’re going away on holiday, do you have to binge through the all-inclusive every single day? Sure relax a little bit and have a good time, by this point you’ve earnt it, but maybe just look to eat when you’re hungry and not when the food is there for the taking.

When Christmas rolls around do you pretty much just relax for the whole month of December or do you consolidate those indulgences for the two days that matter the most.

And There You Have It!

There’s a big difference between those who stay in shape and make this a lifestyle choice and those who just decide to exercise, take on an unsustainable diet and drastic measures for a short term goal.

Remember, your body is for life, not just for summer!