It’s the start of a New Year and after weeks of Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, during which many of us overindulged more than once, you’ve likely thought about setting some resolutions to get the New Year going with the right intentions.

Having these resolutions in place can be a great thing but many people often struggle to stick to them and to make longstanding habits last past the month of February.

Here are five tips to help you maintain these resolutions all year round, and to stick with them month on month:

•  Speak to an expert to help formulate a plan – we seek expertise in so many facets of our life, yet many people will aimlessly train in the gym without a programme in place. Having guidance and direction allows us to generate results quicker and therefore gives us the motivation to continue training.

•  Set goals and make them specific – whether you are training to get back into shape or for some specific kind of fitness goal, it is so important to have a time frame in line with these goals. Setting something that is realistic, attainable and has a process that is enjoyable will make this journey far more rewarding and with a higher chance of success.

•  If you’re not assessing, you’re guessing – two very simple things that can be done to help you stick with a nutrition or fitness plan would be A) to monitor your daily calorific intake and B) track your activity levels.  Apps such as MyFitnessPal and a Fitbit or even your phone can be used to track your daily activity levels. Having the data for both will allow you to specifically modify your daily calorific requirements and activity levels needed to achieve your specific goals.

•  Find a training partner – Training by yourself can be tough and often demoralising which is why so many people enlist the help of a personal trainer or Coach. If this is not an option for you then find a friend or colleague who will train with you. Having this person to train with, will not only make your training more enjoyable, and without a doubt more challenging, but it will also keep you more accountable.

•  Train for performance not just aesthetics. I’ve always found with my clients that when they are training for a specific goal it helps keeps them on track to hit their targets, as each target has a different focus, rather than just their scale weight. Whether it’s a weightlifting, cycling, running or even golf, having constant small wins towards a specific target allows my clients to keep a more positive mindset and enjoy the process of getting “fitter” year-round.

Written by Mark Roper – Principal Coach, Coach London

For more information on our personalised programmes please email info@coachlondon.uk or call us on (0) 207 315 4260