I've been back and forth about my thoughts on New Years resolutions. But I’m currently and happily on the resolution train.
In this study, more than half of participants considered themselves successful at maintaining their New Years resolutions a whole year after they made them.
This could be because of something called the fresh start effect, which is when temporal landmarks like Mondays or January 1st help us focus on our goals.
I need all the help I can get to help me stick to something I’ve been contemplating for a while: going back to the gym.
Almost 10 years ago, my husband and I decided that it would be cheaper to have a bare-bones home gym, especially compared to the cost of both of us having a membership. (This was well before the prices of home equipment soared with COVID.)
I loved my home workouts for a long time. Especially during medical school. But ever since I had my son, I’ve had a hard time working out at home. It’s distracting. I end up feeding him, cleaning, preparing for the day, or doing anything else that interrupts my workout. I usually manage a 10- to 20-minute workout a few times a week, but I’ve been wanting more.
So January 1st, I decided it was time to go back to the gym.
That day, I walked in and signed up for a membership. The next day, I was wandering around the weight room somewhat aimlessly but managed to do a little workout. The day after, I was insanely sore, even though I thought I was taking it easy.
Now, my goal is to go 3 times a week.
If you’re looking to head back to the gym, here are my tips to stick with it and stave off soreness as best as possible.
1. Have a plan
As a former physiotherapist, I love making workout plans. I’ve made a ton for my job and for myself.
What I’ve learned over the years is that the best way to stick with something is to have a plan. This removes decision fatigue where you’re trying to figure out what to do that day.
The plan doesn’t need to be complicated. My current plan consists of full-body workouts with an emphasis on shoulders. The exercises are all ones that I’m familiar with, and I know they work for my body.
The plan should be something you feel confident you can pull off. That’s where the next tip comes in.
2. Set a realistic goal
You need to instill trust in yourself that you’ll have some follow-through. That’s the main reason I think realistic goals are so important. Reaching them tells you brain that you got this, that you can be trusted to do the thing.
You’ll notice my goal is to simply go to the gym 3 times a week. I truly don’t even care if I step foot in the gym, as long as I get in my care and arrive there. Of course, once I’m there I’m almost certainly going to workout. But I didn’t make my goal about needing to do an hour-long workout every time.
Set a goal that you’re excited about, and that you think can fit into your life. I also asked my husband what he thought was realistic for me, since he knows me well after living together for 10 years.
A tip with realistic goals: for me, if the goal seems too tiny, I might not be motivated to do it. Even though it would be realistic, going to the gym once a week wasn’t an exciting goal for me.
Find the sweet spot that works for you.
3. Chill for the first week
Please resist the urge to go wild the first day back at the gym. For my first gym workout after 10 years, I thought I was going really light. I did 2 sets of 3 exercises, and I used weight that felt light. I still could barely get down steps the next day.
This is perhaps the hardest part about going back to the gym for many people. Ego gets in the way, and they go all out. This is a good way to get really sore and burn out of the habit quickly.
You want to feel good with your workouts to stick with it. A little muscle soreness
I recommend staying well away from failure for the first week back at the gym (or with any new workout program). If you feel great, you can ramp up quickly.
Bonus tip: no one cares
This is a reminder to myself that absolutely no one care how much weight I’m lifting, if I have “the right” gym clothes on, whether I’m there for 5 minutes or 50.
Everyone’s focussed on themselves at the gym. As long as you’re courteous (ie. have basic gym etiquette like putting equipment back in place, not going to the gym when you’re sick, and wiping down equipment) fellow gym-goers couldn’t care less.
You do you.
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I hope this post helps those of you considering a return to the gym this January. Let me know how it goes!
-Dr. Kuhnow
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