We’re now well into January, and with it, our New Year’s resolutions.
Undoubtedly, many of these will be based around losing weight or doing more exercise – in fact, BUPA list that the top three resolutions are:
Changing your lifestyle completely at the stroke of midnight on 31st December can be difficult – and most people (up to 80%) give up their resolutions by the time February comes around. However, we’re here to help you with some new year’s resolution tips for success. Take a look and maintain your resolve to get fighting fit.
To increase the chances of success, make sure you haven’t overdone it with an unachievable resolution. If you’ve not done any exercise since having to jog for the number 245 bus back in July last year, then aiming to make use of your shiny new gym membership for five days a week from January 1st is going to be near impossible to maintain.
Instead, start small. If exercise is a brand-new concept, commit yourself to one or two sessions a week. When you start feeling the benefits, get past the initial shock to the system and begin to actively enjoy working out, then you can begin to increase doing so more often. By that point, you can already give yourself a good pat on the back!
One of the best things you can do to stick to your new task – whether eating well, or doing more exercise, or anything – is to find a buddy to take it on with. Not only do you have each other to support when things are getting tough, but competitive nature will kick in. You don’t want to be the first one to break do you!?
If you’re the first of your friends or family to take on the challenge, don’t let this stop you. Sign up to a class. Not only can the other attendees and trainers act as your support, but you might end up making new work-out buddies along the way.
A key part of keeping to a training routine is recovery. Everyone knows exercise is a good thing. But do you know why? Feeling the impact of a decent work-out – and the pain you feel in your muscles afterwards – is your body telling itself that it needs to be in a better place to for the next time it is put through its paces.
However, this aching that we experience after running, lifting weights, doing yoga can make it that much easier to say “no thank you” on our next scheduled work-out.
Therefore, it is crucial to enhance your body’s post-session recovery. There are several ways this can be done. From making sure you’re properly hydrated (it’s important to replenish the fluids lost during exercise), to stretching before and after working out in order to return muscles to their original length and improve circulation, and using a foam roller. There are more extreme measures, such as ice baths and sports massages too if you’re pushing yourself.
CurraNZ exists as a helping hand and great recovery hack/strategy in this department – by helping reduce fatigue and increasing blood flow. Regularly taking CurraNZ also improves tissue repair and enhances immune responses – helping to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) – meaning you can get back in the gym sooner than you would have thought.
This means there’s less of an excuse to pack it in before you achieve your goals!