I saw a reel on Instagram by a fitness trainer named Jamie and it was all about some other dates of the year hating on January 1st because everyone is so excited about is so they can start with their fitness plans or New Year’s resolutions. However, realistically speaking, you could start at any time of the year.
I think that the marketing industry has made such a big deal about January 1st because you could actually choose to change at any time you want especially when you are feeling tired of the way you are feeling. I also believe that sometimes it is difficult to know that you can change at any time you want because we could be stuck in our daily routines.
I particularly feel that this is the case with fitness because January 1st is marketed as the day you will change and everything will be anew, and you are led to believe that you will start exercising every single day from the first day of the year. This, however, crashes and burns about 14 days, per the data I checked, into the New Year. We get so excited about something in the New Year that we go way too hard and do not slowly start with things. So, really, choosing to start today, for example, your new fitness routine, would probably be more beneficial to you than starting on January 1st.
The other thing that is wrapped up on this thinking, too, is that people have the assumption that when they start working out on January 1st, all of a sudden they will see these quick changes to their body. But fitness is a slow and arduous journey as we do not see changes immediately. In the Physical Therapy world, I tell my patients that they will start to see strength changes in four to six weeks, and even if they start having strength changes, it does not automatically translate to your body changing dramatically.
January 1st, I believe, also comes tied with the mindset of changing your body and that actually gets people away from their goal of moving and being healthier. So I think it’s really important to know why you are doing what you are doing.
My Vision On Why I Move Daily And Why It Is Important To Me
I did a clinical rotation in a skilled nursing facility and I can tell you that I saw what it looks like when people do not take care of themselves movement-wise or food-wise. We cannot avoid all health outcomes as some things can be genetic even if you are on track with your fitness routine and are eating nutritious food that helps you live a long and healthy life. You could be doing all of these things but things could still not go your way and you can end up having a stroke for instance.
However, in the skilled nursing facility I worked at, I saw people who did not have movement as part of their lives and it really makes it more difficult to recover from things like heart attacks or strokes. Further, it is more difficult to move as you get older because you lose your independence a little bit quicker. In relation to my vision on why I move daily, I always think about what I saw at the skilled nursing facility that is why I make sure to have my independence for as long as possible.
Another thing is I love playing tennis and in the level that I play at, it can be hard on my body if I am not maintaining things off the court to support that such as my strength training, yoga, and making sure that I am warming up and cooling down properly. If I do not do these things, tennis will not be fun anymore for me. Having the goal to move outside of tennis is really helpful in supporting me move daily.
The last thing is my kid, James. I want to be able to move with him as he gets older. I’ve had friends who have family members who did not keep up a fitness movement practice for themselves throughout their life and they are not able to keep up with their kids. I love that my parents, who are in their 60s, and they visit us, they are able to go with us on a hike with no problem. So, I want to be able to maintain that and keep up with my kid.
Not Attaching Your Visions And Goals To Specific Body Outcomes
You will notice that in my visions and my goals for myself, none are related to my body. If they were, I probably would not keep up with those activities. I will be honest and say my movement routine was related to my body in the past particularly after having James. My mind was going through a weird place especially because there is so much information out there about getting your body back after a baby. Trying to turn those messages off was difficult and I can say that at the beginning of my post-partum journey after having James and I was ready to really start moving again, I was not that consistent. It was not necessarily because I have to take care of my baby, but because I was attaching my goals to what my body looked like and that did not motivate me to keep moving.
After getting back into tennis again after giving birth, which took a couple more months post-partum, I realized that I have this goal that I really wanted to work towards so I started getting more consistent with my movement.
Trying to detach yourself from a specific body outcome can be really helpful in staying consistent towards your fitness goals. That is why you can make changes at any day and it does not have to always be January 1st.
The other thing I want to say about this is if you are starting to get back into a movement routine and it has been a while, do not go 3000 percent. I’ve said this a lot and I will say it again. Take small steps to get towards your goals. If you want to get into a yoga practice, for example, maybe you could start by doing a 10-minute or 20-minute practice and you do not need to do the full hour. Make sure that it is something you can tolerate and is achievable. When we go all in like that and we are sore the next day, we end up not being motivated to keep moving. Starting small will help you build up to something bigger.
Conclusion
The big message here is that with movement, make a goal outside of how you want your body to look, a vision for what your future is. That will help you stay committed to moving and your fitness goals.
Again, you do not have to start on January 1st, you can start moving today.