The beginning of a new year is a time when many people uncap their pens and jot down a list of resolutions. Most include some form of physical fitness or weight loss and, when the holiday season winds down and the tins of cookies and boxes of chocolates are only a memory, many people flock to the local gym to buy gym memberships. The second week of January is the busiest time of the year at gyms, but 80% of the New Year resolutions crowd drops off by the second week of February. There are many reasons for this, but Tia Wayling, personal trainer and fitness programmer at Creston and District Community Complex, has some advice to better the odds.
“I think the biggest mistake most people make,” says Wayling, “is sprinting straight out the gates and going full bore. So many people want to jump from doing no form of exercise to spending five days a week at the gym. But that’s unrealistic. And it hardly ever works out. It’s best to start slow – maybe one or two days a week – and then build up from there.”
Wayling is a proponent of SMART goals. SMART is an acronym (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Timely) to help individuals make sure their goals are clear and reachable. “It’s about setting attainable and measurable goals in a time sensitive manner. That means anyone coming into the gym with an idea or a goal needs to be able to quantify what they want to do and by when. If someone just wants to lose weight, I usually ask them why and how much and by when – otherwise they will not be successful.”
Setting up successful goals means breaking bigger goals into smaller ones, says Wayling. “That way we avoid getting discouraged. If we set a goal of coming to the gym one day a week and that’s a success, then we can build on that and work up to two or three days a week. But if we set a goal of five days a week and only manage two or three, then we feel discouraged and that leads back to zero days a week. Discouraged people don’t come to the gym for more than a few weeks before they fall back into the habit of not coming at all. It’s not about pressuring ourselves into coming; it’s about being successful in the long-term.”
Priorities play a major role in the success of an individual’s exercise regime. “If coming to the gym is only one item on a long list of resolutions, then we will find excuses not to come. It has to be a top priority. There needs to be an end date, with small attainable goals along the way. It soon becomes a game and it feels good to cross off small goals while reaching for bigger ones. But it has to be a priority. There has to be a strong reason for coming.”
The Creston and District Community Complex offers a number of programs to help with exercise routines and goal setting. There are many fitness classes and personal trainers that can help. “It often helps to be a part of a registered program and see progression. There’s also small group training for three to six people (which is a good inexpensive option) or personal training with a partner. There is, of course, one-on-one customized training available. Usually we start with a short interview so we can understand why this is a priority, and how life will be different once these smaller goals are achieved. I am hoping that the newness of the year is not just the only motivating factor. Success doesn’t start just because there is a new calendar on the fridge.”