Successful Fitness New Year's Resolutions

With the start of a new year, it’s the perfect time to jump-start a fitness routine. The benefits of exercise are no secret, and health- and fitness-related goals are some of the most common resolutions every year. These new habits also are some of the hardest to keep if an injury derails progress.

January is one of our busiest times for new injuries in my line of work. People come in with a lot of motivation, but their bodies aren’t always ready for what they’re asking of them right away. Overuse injuries like sprains, strains and stress fractures are some common barriers when our bodies aren’t ready for the intensity of a new exercise regimen.

Here are some tips to prevent overuse injuries and keep your fitness New Year’s resolutions on track.

Key Takeaways: New Year’s Resolutions You Can Stick To

• Choose activities you enjoy so your routine feels easier to maintain.
• Increase your workouts gradually to help prevent overuse injuries.
• Use proper form, warm up and listen to your body as you exercise.

Identify Fitness Activities You Enjoy

An active lifestyle doesn’t have to be stressful or something to dread. There isn’t one type of exercise that works for every person, so find an activity that you’ll be able to enjoy for the long haul. Don’t be afraid to try a new fitness activity for your New Year’s resolution, whether it be taking an exercise class, training for your first 5K or enjoying a hike outside. Cross-training, a variety mix of exercises, will work different muscle groups, prevent boredom and give the body a chance to recover.

Ask For Help On Your Fitness Resolution

The gym can be an intimidating place if you don’t have experience with weight machines or cardio equipment. Don’t be afraid to ask gym staff or a healthcare professional for help if you’re unsure about your form or how to properly use a piece of equipment. Performing exercises with correct technique is crucial to avoiding injuries.

Pace Yourself During Fitness

Slow and steady wins the race, especially if you’re starting a new exercise program. You can gradually increase the frequency, duration and intensity of your workouts as your fitness improves, but don’t increase them all at the same time. Stress fractures and muscle strains occur when there is too much stress placed on the body too quickly. So forget the “no pain, no gain” rule of thumb and listen to your body with any aches and pains.

The 10 percent rule is a good gut check I use with clients. This rule means you shouldn’t increase the amount you exercise by more than 10 percent from one week to the next. If you went from not running at all to trying to run five miles in your first week, that’s exactly the kind of jump that leads to a stress fracture. Setting realistic goals can also make a new routine easier to maintain. Learn more about how to set New Year’s resolutions that stick.

Warm-Up Before And Cool Down After Fitness

Warm-up and cool-down are usually the first two steps people skip when they’re short on time. But those two steps are doing a lot of the work that keeps you from getting hurt.

Spending 5 to 10 minutes on a bike or a brisk walk are good ways of preparing the body for more intense exercise. With the increased blood flow to muscles, range of motion and elasticity of muscle fibers are improved and decrease the chances of a strain injury. Don’t forget to spend a few minutes stretching muscles after a workout to decrease soreness and increase flexibility.

Be Proactive Throughout Your Fitness Journey

Some people prefer a more proactive approach to preventing injuries, and there is a tool designed specifically for that purpose called the Functional Movement Screen. I use it with a lot of the people at the start of the year. It’s a quick way to catch an imbalance before it turns into an injury, rather than after. The Functional Movement Screen is a series of seven basic movements and can help identify muscle imbalances and deficiencies that lead to injury.

The seven movements are:

• Deep squat tests mobility and stability of the hips, knees and ankles.
• Hurdle step evaluates balance and stability while stepping over an obstacle.
• In-line lunge movement assesses stability in a split-stance position.
• Shoulder mobility checks range of motion and symmetry in the shoulders.
• Active straight-leg raise tests hamstring and hip flexibility.
• Trunk stability push-up evaluates core stability during an upper-body movement.
• Rotary stability assesses coordination between the upper and lower body during rotation.