New Year, New You

At the beginning of each New Year, there is always that feeling of having to create a daunting list of resolutions; most of which will probably end up being discarded by the second week of January.

Making a roll call of things that involve a huge amount of commitment, expense, effort, time and energy make goals such as getting fit, losing weight, changing jobs, changing direction, moving house or whatever it might be, difficult to tackle and more difficult to know where or how to begin.

I have resolutely resolved not to make a single resolution this year, but have instead set a series of small, short and longer term goals and challenges to work on progressively throughout the year. Bro and I have always found having a longer term challenge or goal works well for us and makes us more determined and motivated to finish. We enjoy the satisfaction of completing something and it gives us an additional purpose. Not giving ourselves a time frame for the smaller goals takes away any pressure and helps us to enjoy them in our own time.

Small targets. Less pressure. More chance of success. Hopefully. 

Take a classic resolution - Getting Fit - which has to be near the top of most lists. Saying 'I'm going to aim to run two miles by February' seems to me to be too much pressure if you've never run before, and you may well not continue if it feels difficult, especially in the winter months. Instead, perhaps give yourself something to aim for, and plenty of time in which to do it. I once entered a simple 6K Race for Life and spent each spring evening building up my distance gradually and slowly as I had plenty of time and found I really enjoyed it.

So what can we do that takes the pressure off?

Instead of looking at the overall ‘I WANT TO GET FIT’ goal, break it down. Think about taking a simple walk once or twice a week to begin with. The NHS advocates 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. That's just 35 minutes a day. I appreciate it's harder when it's cold and dark outside, but we've been walking after work with a headtorch and it makes a simple walk much more interesting and more enjoyable. We then take longer walks on days off or at the weekend. Alternatively, start in the spring when the clocks have gone forward and it feels more comfortable walking in the daylight. Our intention is to maintain our fitness by walking every day where possible, and so far, we've been doing this diligently. The cold air is bracing and I find it's refreshing after a day indoors with the fan heater (at work) or central heating (at home). It has also cleared catarrh in my throat and chest which is lingering a little after a second, albeit very mild, dose of Covid just before Christmas. 

As time goes on, and if you feel you're enjoying it, increase either the time or distance (or both) on your twice weekly walk, or try walking perhaps three or four times a week. Spring is a beautiful time to walk and there are so many gorgeous distractions - flowers, birdsong, running water, budding trees - that you won't notice how far or for how long you're walking. Build the walks up until you walk every day and it becomes a habit. Believe me, you will get to the point that you either feel guilty about not going out, or grouchy if you don't have your daily outdoor exercise! 

Try walking a little faster. This is something we have been doing on shorter walks and it really makes a difference to strength and stamina. Our walking pace has increased, stamina is maintained and muscles toned. I've always had a little private and personal challenge over the years of keeping up with Bro who walks fast, and I now can, which is satisfying.

Don't just walk on the flat. Find and climb or walk up hills, even if it's a road in your town, village or housing estate. If it's a small hill or slope, try jogging up it, just to get your heart rate up. Climb or run up the stairs at work, in the shopping centre or in the car park. Walk on a mixtures of different terrains to increase muscle tone and improve balance and stability.

Try mixing walking with a little running. Having spent most of last year trying to increase our walking speed, we now intersperse bursts of running with walking to increase our heart rates.

Last year, we also mixed our daily walking with cycling for more of a cardio workout. We favour mountain bikes and it's hard work, but ultimately enjoyable and it certainly feels like more of a workout! Again, we increased our distances throughout the year. Stopping half way to brew a hot drink in the winter makes it even more enjoyable.

If you don’t want to exercise alone or generally prefer company, think about a doing a walk or run for charity, or a park run. Join a walking, running or cycling group for motivation as well as the social side. We meet friends for a long walk and lunch afterwards which is lovely and you don’t realise how far you’re walking when you’re chatting! You could go geocaching which makes a walk you’ve done lots of times more interesting. We found all the caches in our area and it was good fun.

There are lots of other ways to introduce exercise. Get off the bus a stop earlier, walk or cycle to work if you can, get someone to drop you off slightly further away, walk to the local shop, go for a walk or run in your lunch break, jog back to the car park, move around the office more, offer to take the post or get the coffee - there are so many ways we can work that 35 minutes of exercise into our daily lives, possibly without even really noticing. We recorded three quarters of a mile just doing the weekly food shop! 

These are all outdoor activities as they are what we enjoy, but equally you may choose to visit a gym, go swimming, play badminton or squash or use a running machine or exercise bike at home if you prefer to be indoors. 

Whatever you do, do try and stick at it and before you know it, your fitness levels will have increased and you'll hopefully be more energised and perhaps more motivated. You may then start to walk longer, faster, further and higher, run further and faster, jog more comfortably and easily or cycle miles without stopping.

Who knows what you could be doing by this time next year?!