New Year, New You: 10 Essential Tips for Keeping Your Fitness Resolutions

Over time, New Year’s resolutions have turned into a source of embarrassed laughter and mockery. We’re more accustomed to hearing how people fail to complete them rather then succeed. We tuck away the notebook with our written resolutions so our eyes don’t come across it, giving us the feeling of shame.

Not surprisingly, recent studies by Forbes Health/OnePoll in 2023 among adult Americans revealed that the most popular goals are to improve physical (48%) and mental health (36%).[1]

We often begin quite enthusiastically: buying subscriptions to yoga classes, going to the gym, planning our meals, or scheduling the first appointment with a therapist.

Unfortunately, changes often don’t happen overnight, and by March, enthusiasm among most people starts to wear thin. You begin feeling urges to go back to a comfortable routine where you feel less pressure. What’s more, when it comes to physical activities, choosing the kind you don’t actually enjoy can bring a ton of unwanted stress, and even more disappointment and frustration.

It may sound like I’m encouraging you not to make these resolutions, but that’s not it. Whether you choose to make them or not is your decision. But I’m here to offer solutions that will help you actually stick to new habits of doing physical activity. Before I became a yoga teacher, I was a yoga student, and I know myself how hard the first step can be.

The most popular New Year’s goals are to improve physical (48%) and mental health (36%).

Here are 10 recommendations to begin practicing yoga (or any activity, actually!) and not give it up a week later:

• Choose a teacher that appeals to you. We are humans, and yes, appearance matters to us. But that’s not all! If you’re looking for an online or offline yoga instructor, get to know them. Do you like how they smile and talk and how they look? Does the sound of their voice appeal to you? Do your relate to their values and beliefs they share on socials? Choosing a yoga teacher is like choosing a partner: if you don’t feel on the same page with them, it’s not going to work. Try a trial class, scroll through their social media profiles, and then decide.
• Find the activity that you enjoy. Forget about your primary goal for a minute and ask yourself: what kind of physical activity really makes you happy? If you hate jogging, your motivation will eventually wear down and your discipline may feel like a prison. I believe that all good changes in your body happen with love. So choose what you love and what makes you feel good after the practice.
• Find the right timing and stick to it. Introducing a new habit (especially if you want it to be a long-term habit!) requires finding days and times in your schedule that you’ll get used to. When this time comes, you’ll be ready mentally that it’s time for your practice. Don’t select mornings if you barely peel yourself off the bed in the morning. If you’re planning on taking online classes, choose a comfortable time when no one is around at home so your family won’t distract you.
• Find the best place for your practices. If it’s an offline yoga studio, make sure it’s easy to get to and you like the space. Yes, the teacher is the main magnet, and if you like them, you’d probably be ready to travel to the other side of the city to practice with them. But studio settings influence how we feel too. So, make sure you’re alright here. If you’re up for online practices, find a place in your apartment that has enough lighting, isn’t too cold or hot, and you know your family won’t distract you here and you also won’t bother their activities.
• Begin with short practices. Remember the 15-minute rule? Start a task you feel reluctant to do but promise yourself to only do it for 15 minutes. There’s a chance you’ll stop after 15 minutes, but in most cases, people get drawn in and keep going.

Here’s a short motivational story. A few years ago, paralyzed by fear and stress, I knew I wanted to bring my body back to life. Yet, I also knew that if I threw myself into hours of training, I’d quit and end up on a couch surrounded by potato chip packages, feeling guilty for being a loser without willpower. So, I started with 10-minute online yoga classes a day, three days a week. Sometimes, I felt like doing more, and I listened to my body, extending my training to 20–30 minutes. Other times, I felt that 10 minutes was my limit and I didn’t push beyond it. A month later, I subscribed to a pro subscription because I felt so much better. This time on the mat became my source of energy and good mood.

• Buy nice clothing and accessories. Doing yoga or any other physical activity should make you feel good and confident. Buy some clothes that you like how you look in choose and your personal yoga mat that you actually like and that inspires you to unroll it.
• Trick your mind into a routine. Motivation may let you down after a while, so creating discipline may be more effective. However, there are some tricks that can help you stay motivated, as this feeling feels better than discipline. Find a good playlist for your yoga training, gym workout, or jogging. Follow people that motivate you to keep going. They can be yoga teachers, fitness instructors, or just people who train regularly. Seeing their progress is important, but most importantly, see that they’re just people who also have their flaws and weaknesses, but they still have the willingness to keep going.
• Go with a friend. Competition and camaraderie are great sources of motivation. When one of you feels down, the other might be there to cheer them up and not give up.
• Commit to a program. Regardless of whether you go to offline or online classes, spending money on a subscription plan is what can actually make you keep going. The good thing about online programs is that you can set your own timing, but there’s also a disadvantage as sometimes, you may keep moving the training to tomorrows that never come. So if you know you might do this, begin with offline subscriptions that have a strict schedule.
• Reward yourself and turn it into a game. All adults are still kids, and we love activities that intrigue us and promise a “cookie” after completion. So, think of a “cookie” as a reward for your commitment. Probably, using food as a reward isn’t a healthy way and might lead to some undesired eating behaviors, so think of other ways: it could be an episode of your favorite TV series, a walk in the park with a podcast in your ears, a new piece of training clothing or any other accessory, a meeting with your friend for a coffee, or a hot bath with your favorite salts.

My best advice is to keep listening to yourself, your needs, and remember that any new habit takes time. Your goal is to turn it into something as common as brushing your teeth in the morning.

The most challenging part is when you skip one or two classes, and you start feeling shame for that and comparing yourself to others who didn’t break this cycle.

In this case, online classes give you that freedom — no one can see you, you don’t see others, there’s only you and your online teacher who will keep encouraging you regardless of whether you skip a class or not.

Explore my online yoga classes on Patreon — they only take 30 minutes but warm up your entire body and help you become friends with it.