New Year, New You?

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8 simple steps to ensure your New Year's resolution lasts longer than the month of January.

New Year's resolutions are often fuelled by the best intentions and greatest confidence - and often a glass or two of celebratory champagne. But how do we ensure they have the staying power to get us through the year? Here are 8 pointers to keep in mind as you kick-start your health and fitness journey.

The 8 steps

1. Make a plan

A study published by the British Journal of Health Psychology found that 91% of participants who wrote down a plan of when and where to exercise successfully met their goals. Planning is important because it gives your idea a strategy. Your idea might be to run a marathon in October - your plan might be to run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6:30am before work.

2. Set realistic goals

Rome wasn't built in a day, and no one expected it to be. Strength, flexibility, endurance and fitness all take time to improve. Work on one goal at a time and give yourself a realistic timeframe to review your progress.

3. Don't overdo it

Doing too much too soon will likely end in exhaustion, injury and defeat. Start small and work your way up. You'll have a much better chance of sticking to your plan if you work within your successes and gradually build intensity. Pencil in some crucial rest days to let your body acclimatise to the new routine.

4. Start with a warm-up and end with a cool-down

An effective warm-up prepares your body for exercise and reduces the likelihood of injury. Keep warm-up exercises specific to your chosen activity - for example, warm up your ankles, hips, lower back and legs before a run. Cooling down and stretching post-exercise helps reduce the intensity of post-exercise soreness.

5. Focus on your form

Quality trumps quantity when it comes to training. Slow the action down and focus on form first. Then add different variables - weight, repetitions, speed, distance, time under tension - to increase intensity. This reduces your risk of injury and ensures you're training more efficiently.

6. Listen to your body

You're starting a wonderful journey with your body, and it's important to get to know each other well. Learn the difference between "good pain" and "bad pain" - in the early stages of exercise it can be difficult, because everything hurts. The secret lies in the nature and duration of the pain.

Good pain includes a mild burning sensation during an activity like weight lifting that ends as soon as you stop, or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) - a generalised ache or stiffness that begins after your workout, sometimes hours or even a couple of days later.

Bad pain is severe, sharp or shooting pain that occurs during activity, or pain associated with redness, swelling, or old injury sites. If in doubt, stop and get it checked.

7. Catch up on some sleep

Your resolution will have you expending a lot more energy. Sleep allows your body to conserve energy, recover, repair and build muscle from exercise. Getting the recommended 8 hours helps improve concentration, endurance, drive and strength - all working to help you nail those resolutions.

8. Exercise with a friend

Exercising with a friend or community group keeps you motivated, accountable - and often makes it a lot more fun. Running and cycling clubs, bootcamps, gym classes, water aerobics, pilates, yoga, tai chi, zumba and dance classes. The possibilities are endless.

This article was written by Laura Chapman, osteopath at Agility Osteopathy in South Melbourne. For personalised advice, book an appointment with our team.