As the new year approaches, many people will find themselves making the same new year’s resolutions all over again to make healthier choices, lose weight and improve their fitness levels.
But it’s not easy to make such big changes, and as a result, lots of people don’t end up sticking with their efforts to become the picture of health in the new year.
Whether it’s a pledge to eat clean or starting a new fitness project at the gym, there are ways of setting your goals so you’re much more likely to stick to them.
FEMAIL spoke to Diren Kartal, an online personal trainer with more than 250,000 Instagram followers and who has been coaching people for more than a decade.
He revealed the biggest issues people face when trying to stick to their new year’s resolutions and how you can maximise your chances of fulfilling your health goals in 2023.
Dreading the January health kick? Personal trainer Diren Kartal has revealed the ways in which you can make healthy choices for the new year you will actually stick to (stock image)
Why do so many people fail to keep their new year’s resolutions?
‘The biggest issue you have is that people don’t create a sustainable or realistic structure in order to hit their goals,’ Diren said.
‘What happens is, because they go from zero to 100 so quickly, they get really excited.
‘For example, some people will set themselves a goal of going to the gym five times a week when really, they have never gone to the gym more than three times a week before.’
Instead of going into the new year with wild expectations of how many times you will go to the gym or eating ‘clean’ for every single meal, Diren suggested setting a smaller, more realistic goal.
‘If you initially set a high expectation, the chance of you failing is way higher compared to if you set yourself a goal that was slightly smaller,’ Diren explained.
‘I think the biggest issue is that people put too much pressure on themselves. Day-to-day, the important thing is that as long as you’re making progress (whether that’s with training or mindset), that’s what will make the biggest impact moving forward.’
Diren added that the majority of people who have never paid much attention to their fitness levels will experience a few failures here and there when they begin on their new journey. He reminded people not to give up when they experience a setback.
‘It’s like applying for your dream job. You apply over and over again, and eventually you get it, but you only do that if you keep trying,’ he said.
What sensible goals can you set to get fit and eat more healthily?
‘Each individual person is different when it comes to strategies for eating more healthily and setting fitness goals,’ Diren said.
‘We want to do things that excite and inspire us.’
The PT added that, when it comes to getting active, it’s important to find activities we’ll actually want to stick to.
‘I tell my clients to pick a new sport or activity. Something they enjoy where it doesn’t feel like a chore or a lot of work. Something enjoyable.’
He added that incorporating more activity in your day-to-day life, such as going for a walk instead of taking the bus, will help increase your fitness without you even realising it.
In terms of food, Diren recommended going back to basics.
‘No one has ever got fat from eating too much veg,’ he joked, encouraging people to put more vegetables on their plate.
‘When you walk into a supermarket, the first section you come to is meat, fruit and vegetables. That’s technically all you need,’ he explained.
He encouraged people not to overcomplicate the practice of eating healthily, but added there are ways to make it more fun.
‘It could be something as simple as keeping your plate as colourful as possible,’ he said.
How can you shift your mindset to stick to health goals?
‘The first thing people need to realise is these things are not going to happen overnight,’ Diren said.
‘The actions people take to change, they’re going to have to do these things constantly to see progress.’
He added: ‘To see long term habits form that are going to stick, people need to be accountable.’
While he encouraged people to find ways of checking in with themselves, he also reminded them not to be too hard on themselves.
He said: ‘For anyone who has been overweight or battled with their health, the most important thing is to show yourself some love and compassion instead of hating yourself.
‘When people get angry and frustrated with themselves the outcome will not be as good as someone who accepts they have something to overcome.’
He added: ‘People shouldn’t only look at what they see on the scales. Instead they need to look at every aspect of their progress.
‘The scale might not have moved today, but you increased your back squat by 5kg this week and how good is that? You’re stronger now and that’s progress.’
He added that being able to switch your mindset will make you ‘so much happier’ and will help you move forward instead of ‘yo-yoing up and down’.
Amid the cost-of-living crisis, how can people stick to a fitness routine if they decide to save money by giving up their gym membership?
‘The first thing people should do is join my program,’ he joked, but added there are lots of online programmes that keep people accountable and help them develop better habits.
For people who want to work out at home, Diren added there are a few more affordable pieces of equipment they can buy in a one-off payment, for example, suspension trainers and adjustable dumbbells.
In terms of sticking to your routine when working out at home, the PT said it was important to be disciplined.
‘If you’re going to say that you’re training for an hour at home, focus on it,’ he said.
‘Try to create a separate space where you train and put all other distractions away so you actually complete the workout.’
Aside from specific training sessions, Diren stressed the importance of incorporating more activity into your daily life.
He said: ‘When it comes to building sustainable habits to achieve a healthy weight, it’s about more than just that hour in the gym. It’s about what you do with the other 23 hours in the day.
‘Keep active in general, whether that’s getting your steps up by walking to the bus stop or taking a morning walk first thing every day as part of your routine,’ he said.
But the most essential thing to keeping healthy habits? A good night’s rest.
Diren said: ‘Irregular sleep can create a lot of the issues people are having. We need to create regularity with sleep.
‘It is at the core of all these issues and ties it all together.’
Diren runs Progress 24.7 , an online health, nutrition and fitness programme
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