Your 2022 Fitness Resolution Can Last All Year Round | 22 Ways for 2022

So we're several weeks into the new year. You started with the best of intentions, but now you're struggling. Motivation is waning and you're worried that the new fitness resolution you made is falling by the wayside.

What can you do? Is it possible to actually keep a resolution going for the whole year, rather than just through January?

Actually yes, yes it is.

You may need some support though. Or possibly even a stern word with yourself.

Either way, here's 22 tips to help cement your fitness goals for the rest of 2022.

THE SUCCESS CYCLE

Research has shown that performance and stickability are based on something called the success cycle.

The success cycle charts the relationship between how you feel about yourself with how likely you are to stick with an exercise programme and to perform well during your workouts.

If you have a positive self-image, you are more likely to have a positive attitude. This in turn is likely to lead to higher expectations.

Usually, this leads to improved behaviour. For example, going to bed a little earlier or reducing alcohol intake. With these improvements, your level of performance during your workouts increases.

As a result, your self-image is enhanced and things start going well.

However, the effects of a negative self-image can be just as powerful.

Therefore, it's important to keep the cycle moving upwards rather than downwards. The easiest way to ensure this happens is by making sure you get the most out of all your training sessions. And life in general.

One way of making sure this happens is by setting yourself goals and targets.

You should set yourself goals daily. These might relate to school, work or family commitments, as well as training.

Each workout session serves a purpose in your build-up towards your goals. Whether it is weight loss, improved appearance, or sports performance, and you must set a goal on each occasion.

Get your mind in gear before the start of each workout and then evaluate yourself once the session is over.

The key to making your 2022 fitness resolution last all year round is establishing habits that lead to success.

MASTER YOUR MIND TO MOTIVATE YOUR BODY

Consider this: while out of town on a business trip, a young woman visits the gym at her hotel where she is glad to find a stair-climbing machine. For twenty minutes or more, she elevates her heart rate dramatically, her lungs are challenged to their full capacity, and calories are consumed at a rate of knots.

Once finished, it seems ironic that she would take the lift back to her room. Yes, after stair climbing to the moon, it was the lift back to the room!

We have an amazing way of using modern conveniences to make life easier. Then we need sophisticated technology to make up for the easiness.

But this isn't just a case of a passion for expensive toys.

The reality is that the stair-climbing machine captures the imagination, while a flight of stairs is a bore.

Exercise is a body and mind experience. The body performs at the mind's direction.

What captures our imagination varies with our psychological makeup and personalities. So focus on the benefits you'll derive from regular exercise, and even visualise attainment of your goal.

Keep your eye on the prize, not the price.

Write down your goals, along with strategies to achieve them.

Seeing results from your programme will encourage you to continue. If you are not a good goal setter, making a bet or agreement with a friend is one way to ensure you remain focused on the task at hand.

Make a formal agreement with yourself.

Put this agreement in a visual place. Self-monitoring assists in identifying and maintaining the behaviours you're targetting for change. For example, you may wish to keep a food and/or exercise diary. See point 5 below.

If you enjoy your training you will continue doing it.

There are several factors to take into account which may make it enjoyable

For example:

It's not the quantity of the exercise but the quality.

Listen to your body, don't be a slave to your programme.

Be careful not to over-train, and when your body tells you it needs a rest, accommodate this.

Put the time and venue of each exercise session in your diary.

If you don't do this it will be too easy for you to skip a session due to a double booking.

Place the same level of importance on these exercise sessions as you would an appointment or meeting at work.

The most common reason for not continuing with an exercise programme is the availability of time.

Scheduling your exercise session into your daily routine will assist you.

Ride your bike or walk to and from work; exercise during your lunch break or walk along your public transport route an extra couple of stops. You're only limited by your imagination

Although designing the most intricate and sophisticated programme on paper can be fun, in reality, if it doesn't match the capabilities of your lifestyle, it's unsustainable.

Understand your lifestyle limitations and don't expect too much from yourself in the early stages.

We often have unrealistic expectations when we begin training.

Educating yourself on the physiological adaptations which are expected to occur will assist you in overcoming any impatience or unrealistic expectations.

Think of the time you spend exercising as your health insurance.

Understanding the health benefits of your programme will help you keep going when the going gets a little hard.

Be selfish with your health insurance time.

As the saying goes: "If you don't find time for exercise today, you will certainly find time for illness in the future."

Advertising your intentions may be one method to assist you with your adherence.

However, don't set your goals too high. This will only lead to disappointment.

Ensure that your routine fits comfortably with your lifestyle.

Modifications in lifestyle patterns will have to occur. However, do not make them that drastic that they become a source of stress.

Remember, your routine should assist you with stress management, not be the cause of stress.

Conversely, for many, exercise is the one time in the day when nobody can interrupt you.

There are no mobile phones, no questions to answer or jobs to attend to. This is your time and you are free to mentally drift off and do whatever you like with it.

Rather than catching up with a friend over a coffee or lunch, why not schedule a walk, a game of golf or squash?

This is a great way to maintain your social links and also assist someone else in their health maintenance programme.

The social implications of exercising with people are well documented. A Swedish study reported that being in contact socially with others is a better predictor of heart attack than any bio-medical risk factor.

Committing to training with a friend or with a formal group is a great way to increase adherence.

Join a local basketball, volleyball or tennis club. The social implications associated with this involvement may also add to your enjoyment. Therefore, it'll add to your compliance.

You don't necessarily have to join a gym or pound the pavement to improve your fitness levels.

Think laterally when you are designing your exercise programme. Include exercises like rock-climbing, rollerblading, tai chi or Pilates. Whatever exercise you decide to embark on, always vary it to ensure you remain physically and psychologically stimulated.

If you have to travel long distances to perform your exercise routine, chances are it will be too easy to skip a session.

Scheduling training, which is close to your home or place of work will help you maintain your programme.

Periodisation is a concept that was developed by a Russian Scientist in 1972.

Periodising a programme involves subdividing your training period into smaller macro-and micro-cycles so that each part can be manipulated with respect to training intensity, volume, duration and type of exercise.

Periodisation is all about planned results. It's a process that will give your training new life, and it's easy to do.

Training first thing in the morning can enhance exercise compliance rates.

The reasons include work or social commitments rarely getting in the way. The chances of last-minute meetings, phone calls or personal issues interrupting your schedule are lower. As a result, your likelihood of performing your routine is higher.

Exercise in the morning increases your metabolism throughout the day and allows you to exercise twice in one day if that is your aim.

However, don't worry if you hate training in the morning. The best time to work out is the time at which you'll get it done!

Incorporate a form of exercise with which you don't feel comfortable.

Whether it's swimming, weights training or cycling, make sure it challenges you.

Overcoming this hurdle and improving in this area can be one of the most rewarding parts of your campaign.

Exercise and physical activity is not based on an all-or-nothing principle.

If you don't have time or are unable to complete the full complement of training, be flexible enough to modify your programme to suit the occasion.

A little exercise is ALWAYS better than no exercise.

Problem-solving and lapse prevention strategies help people maintain appropriate behavioural changes over the long term.

Learning to manage the inevitable lapses will help you get over the 'hump'.

This 'hump' period coincides with the first six months of your training. After this period, exercise becomes self-propelling.

Don't be too hard on yourself. If you happen to miss a session, simply ensure you complete the next.

In the overall scheme, this will not have a major impact. When missing exercise sessions becomes a habit rather than an anomaly, you should address your original intention.

Reward yourself with a massage or special meal once a week. Alternatively, reward yourself with sports equipment, heart rate monitor or a new pair of runners each time a minor goal is achieved.

These rewards will reinforce the fact that your minor achievements are important.

A few basic principles to include in your programme, regardless of whether you are an elite athlete or novice just starting, include:

Above all, as a well-known sports brand preaches, JUST DO IT!