January is when gym memberships and dieting spike. But by the second Friday of the new year—known as “quitter’s day”—many people’s fitness resolutions go out the window.
Abandoning your workout goals doesn’t have to be a guarantee, though. Here, fitness experts offer Fortune readers their top tips for setting up sustainable workout routines that will last through the new year and beyond.
Make realistic goals
One of the biggest reasons people abandon their goals is that they’re not realistic.
To start, recognize where your fitness level is—not where you think it should be. Running coach and physical therapist Victoria Sekely advises anyone looking to exercise more to begin with a frequency and intensity easier than you think it should be.
“Start out very slow and literally just work on getting consistent with it,” Sekely tells Fortune.
For someone just starting their fitness journey or returning after a long break, that could look like 10 to 15 minutes of exercise three times a week, or five to 10 minutes of movement each morning. This is instead of trying to work out for a full hour five days a week, which could lead to burnout, injury, or abandoning your goals entirely.
Opting for an easier workout schedule in the beginning not only lowers the barrier to entry, Sekely says, but helps build confidence that keeps you coming back, instead of feeling inadequate because you started with a goal that was too hard.
Work on mindset, and motivation will follow
Mindset is an important piece of the puzzle—including an acknowledgment that pursuing workout goals isn’t easy.
“It doesn’t have to feel like you’re fully motivated to get started,” Sekely says. When you stay flexible and anticipate setbacks, she explains, you’re more likely to stay consistent since your mindset isn’t steeped in self-punishing talk.
“If you create even more negativity around it, like punishment and reward and that type of stuff, [it will be] way less likely for it to be a healthy sustainable habit,” Sekely says.
Having a more flexible, forgiving approach can help you stay consistent even on your toughest days. During difficult weeks, try telling yourself to just do 10 minutes—that way, you’ll feel proud that you got at least something done.
Another easy mindset shift is to not think of your fitness routine as a “workout” or “exercise,” Volpe says. Simply calling it “movement” or “physical activity” might make it easier to incorporate into your day.
Read Ani Freedman’s full article here.
