Healthy New Years Resolutions!

By Nick Rowe, Dec 2024

New Years resolutions

It’s that time of year where New Years Resolutions are made. Approximately 50% of those resolutions will be to “get fitter and exercise more”. Unfortunately it is estimated only 10% of these resolutions will be successful. There will be numerous reasons for this, one of those being injuries.

The World Health Organisation recommends that adults engage in 150 – 300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or at least 75 – 150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week. This is a good target, however it is important to take into account your recent activity levels. One of the biggest risk factors for injury is building the intensity and duration up too quickly. In the context of running for example, people who used to run frequently make the mistake of returning to their old distance and pace instead of starting slowly.

Whilst there are never any guarantees in preventing these injuries, there are several steps you can take to reduce the risk of injuries side-lining your fitness goals.

what can you do?

Increasingly sedentary lifestyles are a common trend with patients attending the clinic, increasing physical activity is a key in preventing chronic illnesses and increasing life expectancy and indeed quality of life.

It is important to consider the following when starting your New Years fitness goals…

When was the last time I exercises on a regular basis?

If your answer to this is 3 weeks or more, you ought to consider graduating yourself back into training rather than jumping straight back in where you left off.

After just 1-2 weeks without exercise, your aerobic fitness starts to decline and at about 3 weeks, so does your muscle strength. This means that your body’s ability to tolerate the same level of exertion isn’t quite up to where you left it. Therefore, it’s natural to need to take a step back and build back up to where you were. Depending on how long you’ve been out of training will influence how long you’ll need to get back into things.

If you’re used to exercise and have had just 3 weeks out, it can take you at least a week (even up to 3 weeks!) to get back to your previous fitness/ strength. However, if you’ve been out for a lot longer it’s advisable to consider taking 6 weeks to reach your first set of goals. After all, 6 weeks is around the time it takes for the physiological adaptations to training to really manifest and take effect (this is often less in more trained individuals).

Have I gained weight since I last exercised regularly?

Whilst many people turn to running/weightbearing bearing exercise to lose weight, it’s important to note that an extra kilogram in bodyweight can result in 5-6x that load in impact when running, therefore increasing the risk of soft tissue and bone stress injuries. This is where a suitable strength training programme would be extremely beneficial. See previous blog post on strength training and running here.

Have I had a previous injury?

Previous injury is the greatest predictor of future injury. This might sound a bit obvious, but a lot of people will sustain an injury and then return to activity without having done any rehabilitation. This can result in a residual strength, flexibility and proprioception (balance) deficit, leading to an increased future risk of injury.

Additional important considerations

Am I getting enough rest/sleep?

Injuries often tend to occur under fatigue, so without enough sleep and a new exercise regime, you risk developing fatigue and increasing your risk of injury. 

You need to factor in sleep and rest as part of your new regime to allow your body to recover. Not only does getting enough sleep and recovery time reduce your risk of injury, but it also helps promote the physiological adaptations that occur from your training. So, without enough of it, you risk just wearing yourself into the ground rather than making progress.

Other ways to ensure you’re getting enough recovery in between sessions, aside from sleeping more, is to plan your training. Examples of this can be alternating the days you are working certain muscle groups or varying the duration and intensity of your workouts.

Goal Setting

We all have different motivations for getting ourselves exercising and ultimately, these are personal. Just be sure to identify what your goals are and plan Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) goals to keep you on track.  

When it comes to measuring your goals, select a method that is repeatable, so that you can measure it at intervals and track your progress. E.g. if weight loss is your goal, weigh yourself at the start and then again every couple of weeks of training (try not to concern yourself with it much more than this). Not only will measuring your goals show you you’re making progress, but it’s great for motivation!

Listen to your body correctly

Exercising to your maximum effort only to then under-fuel or not fuel your body correctly will minimise any potential benefits. Make sure you consume enough calories to fuel your goals, eat a balanced, protein-rich diet and don’t be afraid of carbs. We need carbs to help provide the energy to digest the protein we consume: this is used by our bodies as the building blocks for every cell in our bodies. It’s important to note that not all training sessions/runs will be PB’s, it’s ok to listen to your body and amend a session accordingly.

Prevention will always be better than cure, if any of the above points are relevant to you a Physiotherapy consultation/assessment/plan can be key to reducing the risk of injury and increasing the chances of a successful return to physical activity.

For further information feel free to get in touch either via email nick@nrphysio.co.uk or by phone 07534261106.