New Year, New You?

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Thinking of getting fit as part of a New Year’s resolution? Thinking of losing weight? Joining a gym? Picking up running or that sport you’ve always wanted to try? New Year’s resolutions are notorious for only be followed for a short period of time, but here is a list of do’s and don’ts to help you along the way.

DO  – Eat well but make subtle and slight changes over time, which will result in slow weight loss. This will be far more sustainable and healthy for your hormone levels. Depending on your goals you may also want to “track your macros” – Which is tracking your calorie intake directly and measuring the amount of fats, carbs and protein you eat. This can be done through apps such as MyFitnessPal. Don’t – Attempt fad or crash diets. Losing weight is simple (calories in must be less than calories used) but in practice can be more difficult – As i’m sure we can all relate to! Crash diets, where one eats very little in an attempt to lose weight quickly will leave you feeling lethargic, hungry and unhappy due to a crashing of body hormones (testosterone etc).

Don’t – Perform a non-structured training programme. Going to the gym, although better than doing nothing, with no routine will often lead to motivation lacking more quickly, as you struggle to see the benefits. Do – Plan your exercise and progression. If you are joining a gym for New Year’s it can seem a little intimidating to start with, but if you have a plan of your training session already this can calm the jitters.  Ensure you plan basic progression. So for example, if you were running on a treadmill for 20 minutes at 7MPH speed one week, try for 25 minutes the next and so on.


Don’t – Be sporadic in your training and dieting. Do -consistent and disciplined. Motivation is great but this emotion is short-lived and motivation levels always decline with time, hence the February resolutioners. Be consistent and disciplined, plan your days at the gym/training field and plan your diet. Create short, middle and long term goals and stick to them, you will see progress but be patient.

Don’t – Leave pains and injury’s and expect them to resolve on their own.
Do – See a licenced physiotherapist or sports therapist who can assess and treat your injury correctly. This will keep you on the sports field or in the gym and will keep you making progress.
Also, consider getting a sports massage monthly to keep you supple and improve sports performance (plus it feels great!).

We hope you have found this article useful. Good luck to you and we hope you achieve your goals, short term or long term, fitness or otherwise. Remember, our physiotherapists and sports therapists are here to help you with any advice or treatment you may need all year round.
Call and find out how we can help you on 0151 345 6823 or email us [email protected]