How many times have we started a new year with wild and unattainable health and fitness habits that eventually fizzle out? Anyone? Everyone!? Well, we have you sorted with our four health and fitness tips for the new year! These tips are super simple, easy to implement and will make 2022 your best year yet!
Try a new form / style of exercise
Trying a different form/style of exercise can be a fantastic way to re-motivate yourself in the new year! Switching up workouts not only is great for the mind, but also the body. It’s important we move our bodies in varied ranges of movement to keep our joints healthy and muscles balanced.
However, this doesn’t mean you need to totally change your workout routine. If you like higher intensity workouts (HIIT), it might be an idea to try other forms of exercise that still get your heart rate up. These could be movements such as skipping, boxing, running, barre or even dancing!
If you’re more inclined to slower paced workouts, you could try out Mat Pilates, yoga, walking or even simple stretch/mobility classes. Trying / adding a brand new type of exercise is one super simple fitness tip that will keep you motivated in the new year!
Meal prep
Now you’ve probably heard this one before but a simple and effective hack to having a balanced diet is to meal prep! It can sound a bit boring and tedious but it’s actually a time saver and a brain saver for when you come home late after work and cannot be bothered cooking! Throw on some music to make it more fun!
Having a set idea about what you’d like to eat over the course of a week is so helpful and also can bring a bit of fun back to cooking.You can plan/research different dishes that cover all food groups, that way you know you’ll be eating the rainbow throughout the week.
A simple way to get started on the meal prep train is to cutup fresh fruit and veggies and put them in containers in the fridge. That way, it’s quick and easy to pop them in the oven or grab for a snack if you’re on the go. Meal prepping is a great health tip to keep the new year manageable.
Prioritise your recovery to minimise burnout
At the start of every new year, we have every intention on sticking to a new exercise routine, which is great, but we often forget about how we are going to recover and eventually burn out. Recovery is just as important as the workouts themselves!
Try to set 1-2 days per week aside for rest/recovery. This doesn’t necessarily mean ‘sit on the couch and do nothing’. This means make time for stretching, releasing and even massages! Yep that’s right, you have every right to go indulge for some ‘me’ time to help your body recover.
Muscles need releasing once they are tight, otherwise they switch off and make the surrounding/more superficial muscles do the work and that’s when injuries happen. It’s important to remember that stretching doesn’t always mean ‘sit in a static position for 20 minutes’. Including release props (spikey balls, foam rollers etc) to help trigger point muscles is actually more effective than static stretching. Once you’ve trigger pointed a certain area, try to do some mobility exercises afterwards to help with recovery. Simply moving the bones within the joint helps lubricate the joint with synovial fluid which helps keep the joint mobile and healthy (shoulders, hips, knees and ankles).
We see so many clients not prioritise their recovery after exercising like crazy for weeks on end. Minimising burnout by taking time to go to a stretch class or stretch at home (PPF online studio has amazing stretch classes!) or by having regular massages is our hot health & fitness tip for the new year. This tip also gives you some much needed you time! It's a win win!
Choose a schedule that you can actually stick to!
This last hack seems the most logical and simple but is hard to maintain. Be realistic with yourself and your schedule and try not to overload yourself with exercise. 20 mins a day (of movement) is all our bodies need to stay healthy. You don’t need to be spending hours a day exercising as this can actually be damaging to muscle tissue and will lead to burn out before you know it!
Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves if we have missed a workout. Just remember, any movement is good movement! This can be as simple as going for a 20 min walk around the block or even simple stretches at the end of the day.
Your movement schedule should be just as beneficial for your mind. This might mean that you choose more slower paced workouts at the end of the week to keep your body moving but also to not put too much pressure on yourself at the same time. Figuring our what exercise schedule works for your lifestyle is such a straightforward fitness tip for 2022.
At the end of the day, exercise should be something our bodies and our minds enjoy. These last couple of years have been absurd and stressful so let’s be kind to our bodies in 2022 and do things that make us feel happy and joyful – including how we move our bodies! These four health and fitness tips for the new year will hopefully help you to get the most out of the new year, whilst also giving you some time back for relaxing!
Read how you can have 365 Days of Health & Wellness to help you with your new year goals!
Want to meal prep a delicious meal? Try our Seared Tuna Poke Bowl recipe!
