2020 is just around the corner and you are starting to think about how you can reboot your health, set some goals and start the year off well!

BUT, you do this each year and you just can’t seem to make those new routines stick?

You start your new diet or your new exercise routine and you stop after a few weeks?

And then to make it even worse you start telling yourself that you are hopeless for not being able to see them through?Sound familiar?

Well, my friend, you are far from hopeless, actually you are FREAKING AMAZING!
The reason these things haven’t worked in the past is because you have been setting yourself Unrealistic goals!

BUT not this year! This year is your year to shine!

I’m going to tell you something you probably don’t want to hear…. Here goes…..

There are no quick fixes, there are no tricks and no special fancy diets that are going to help you achieve a healthy sustainable lifestyle.

Creating a healthy lifestyle is all about making small sustainable changes over time and allowing these to become part of your lifestyle.

And to help you do that here are my top 3 tips to help you create healthy habits that will last a lifetime!

Steer Clear of FAD DIETS

Let’s be super clear, fad diets do not work.

Whilst they may be successful in the short term, they are extremely difficult to sustain for long periods. Fad diets are centered around restriction and will often ask you to cut out or reduce certain food groups.

This means you won’t be getting all of the essential nutrients you need for a healthy body and life.

So what should you do instead?

Eat a healthy balanced diet.
Remember that food pyramid you learnt about at school, bring that bad boy back out and try to start fueling your body based on it’s recommendations (you can also read this great article hear for some tips).

So instead of starting a fad diet in 2020 commit to making some small healthy changes to what you are eating. For Example;

Eat 3 pieces of fruit a day
Reduce sugar intake by not adding additional sugar to any of my meals or drinks
Cook dinners that are made with fresh foods (vegetables, meat, grains)
Only have 1 soft drink a week

Don’t Go GUNG-hO with your exercise!

So you want to be more active, that’s great!

But maybe it’s been a while since you’ve exercised or maybe you’ve been regularly exercising for a and want to up the anti?

It’s important when changing your exercise routine to make small incremental changes, rather than going all-in right from 1st of Jan!

Here are 2 reasons why this is important!

Sudden and large changes to your exercise routine can put your body at an increased risk of injury
Making big changes to your routine can often be unrealistic and hard to sustain!

So, instead of going from zero to hero this Jan try Introducing your new activities slowly and then increase it steadily from week to week as you feel ready. Not only will this reduce your chance of injury but it will also make it easier to for you to form a habit and stick to it.

Try setting goals such as;

Walk for 15minutes every second day
Do 10-15 Minutes of Pilates every second day
Change one low-intensity session (walk, or bike ride etc) into a higher intensity Eg. hill walk or a weight session

Pick Activities You Enjoy!

Now that you know you have to start out slow when you are introducing new exercises into your routine, the next important step is for you to pick activities that you enjoy!

Creating a healthy lifestyle is all about making changes that are sustainable for a long period of time. So there’s no point starting a type of activity or exercise that you absolutely dread doing.

Instead pick activities you enjoy, and if you’re not sure what you enjoy then maybe give a few different things a go and see what lights your fire!

Exercise doesn’t have to mean running or going to the gym, or box jumps or burpees (urgh burpees) it can take so many different forms, so get creative!

So this year when you are sitting down to set your New Year goals and resolutions, make it simple, pick exercises that you enjoy, start small and increase gradually and please No Fad Diets!

Oh and If you’ve been thinking about trying Pilates but are worried about making a big commitment,

try our INTRO OFFER - 4 REFORMER CLASSES = $85

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Steph & The Pilates HQ Team

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