8 ways to keep on moving

On average, more than two thirds of all Brits sign up for a gym membership in early January every year – but by the end of the month around 37% of us have already thrown in the towel and succumbed to the call of the sofa. As a nation, we’re not short of big plans for improving our health and fitness after a month of festive binging, but when it comes to sticking it out and keeping up our weekly gym visits motivation can prove to be a pretty elusive thing. If you’re serious about burning off the Christmas carbs, getting in shape or simply improving your overall wellbeing, here a few top tips for maintaining momentum and getting out the door and on your way to the gym throughout January and beyond.

1. Get a workout partner
Most of us can pretty easily talk ourselves out of doing exercise with the slightest excuse, but if you have a regular workout partner it makes the excuse-making that little bit harder. You’ll be reluctant to let each other down on pre-existing plans, and the fact that there is someone else there to witness you choosing a whole pan of macaroni cheese over a treadmill session might breed just enough guilt to spur you into action. 

2. Vary your workouts
Falling into a rut is the quickest way to tire of anything, so mixing up your form of exercise is key to keeping up the momentum. If you hate a certain machine or move – just don’t do it. Instead, find a different way to work out the same area, be it your legs, arms or core. There are so many fun things you can do to get in shape; it doesn’t have to be misery-inducing to be beneficial. 

3. Don’t burn yourself out
If casual laziness is solidifying into cold, hard dread at the thought of that ten-minute drive to the gym, it may be time to think about cutting back a little in order to stop yourself going cold turkey. Either cut your usual workout time by half an hour or take a few days off to give yourself a break – just avoid taking more than a week, otherwise it’ll be ten times harder to get back into a routine. 

4. Think positively
You’ve heard it a million times before, but the truth is your mental state is 90 per cent of the battle. How you think about a workout after you’ve finished it has a huge impact on your attitude to the next one – tell yourself you enjoyed it and be proud of what you’ve achieved. Positive reinforcement is a powerful thing, and it helps to remember that the only bad workout is one that didn’t happen.

5. Love yourself
Sometimes it’s okay to be a little narcissistic, contrary to the typical British tendency toward self-deprecation. It’s important that you notice your own hard work and can admire the progress you’re making – feeling good about yourself will be the biggest inspiration for getting back to the gym to keeping up the good work.

6. Listen to your favourite tunes
There’s nothing more motivational than listening to your favourite song whilst working out, and sometimes a little bit of bass is all you need to get you through those last four reps. Turn up the volume, bust a move and pretend you’re in a music video – you’ll soon forget about the burn, at least for a little while.

7. Pick cardio workouts you enjoy
One of the main things that turns people off cardiovascular exercise (aka the fat-burning, stamina-building kind) is the sheer tedium of running on a treadmill for 40 minutes with nothing to entertain them but the back of someone else’s sweaty head. It’s something we’re all supposed to be doing at least three times a week, so if you can’t bear the thought of the same old monotony, get outside and on your bike, play a game of tennis, swim a few lengths or paddle a canoe. As long as you’re out of breath, you’re doing it right. 

8. Realise the importance of exercise
In fact, realise the inevitability of exercise. You need to do it, and once you get into a good routine it’s going to make you a better person in every area of your life. This sounds dramatic but it’s completely true – your physical and mental health, productivity and concentration at work all depend on it. Just get it done.

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