When is the best time to start a new exercise regime?

It’s January and we are currently all being bombarded with gym offers, ‘new year, new you’ guidance and promises of hacks and routines which will transform your body/life/face/cat etc. This is only days after we were being hounded by the opposite messages throughout December to ‘eat, drink and be merry’ practically every night. No wonder we tend to feel exhausted at the start of the year!

Yes, the new year can be a good time to start new positive habits, but so can any time of the year. No one day in the calendar is better than another, it depends on your body and your life. If you are feeling exhausted and full of a post-Christmas cold, then maybe it’s not the best time to start going for a run every day. You might drag yourself out on a dark morning in the rain and feel revitalised and energised (amazing!). Or it might put you off doing any exercise for another 6 months (not so good).

Just because it’s the new year doesn’t mean you should feel pressurised into exercise. If you haven’t been able to stick to your resolutions this year, that does not make you a failure. Building a new regular and sustainable exercise routine which you enjoy can start at any time and the key is to keep it going throughout the rest of the year (and the ones after that). It’s so much better to go to the gym a couple of times a week, 52 weeks a year than 5 times a week in January and then nothing for the following 11 months. You can also start small and not even need to leave your house. You could try a 10 minute yoga YouTube video at the end of each day and see if you start to feel a difference in your mobility, flexibility and energy. Then build from there.

Think about what your body and mind need right now and look to build habits which feel true to you rather than what is currently trending on Instagram. For me, this time of year is actually about rest and recuperation. I still want to exercise but my focus is much more on slower, more restorative activities such as yoga, wrapping up warm for a brisk walk or lifting the barbell in my cosy gym. My focus is on resetting, reflecting on how I’d like to use my time and energy this year rather than being super strict and setting myself lots of targets and goals. I’m taking some time to work out what my 2024 needs and how I can best serve myself, my loved ones and my clients.

If I can help to support you in 2024 (at any time, not just in January!) then get in touch.