How to make your exercise resolutions stick all year

TOWSON, Md. — Any of you thinking about heading to the gym? Did you make a resolution to do so?

According to one National Institute of Health study, by the time next year rolls around, only 58% of us will have kept at it.

Photojournalist Kristi Harper looked into why that may be.

A lot of us are guilty of letting those New Year’s resolutions to get healthy slide away. So how do you keep at it?

Ali True Smith, who owns True Balance Studios in Towson, Maryland has some ideas on how to set yourself up to be fit and active in the long term.

“I realized this was the only thing that was going to hold me accountable to take care of myself.”

Ali has been in the fitness world since she was 15. She played lacrosse and studied exercise physiology and kinesiology in college. Afterward, she got certified in massage therapy and personal training. She knows bodies. She well knows the struggles that happen with trying to keep a good exercise routine.

“Maybe you took the month of December off because you were sick or injured or something. And then you jump in on January, and you’re trying to lift all the same weights that you were doing before. And then you get sore, too sore, so you don’t want to go back to the gym the next few days. And then you might even get injured, and then you get really discouraged.”

She says the key is taking the gym time to learn what your body needs to get it in its best form.

“There is an all-or-nothing mentality with working out. And people go too hard too fast, and then they can’t keep up with it… If you find guidance on how to properly strength train, you are really slow and controlled and mindful about what you’re doing, what your body is doing, being, you know, very aware of how your joints are moving and making that you’re training your muscles in a balanced way.”

To help, she made a flip book that shows you what to look out for.

It’s available from Amazon or at her studio. She says you need to figure out the right balance of strength, flexibility, and cardio work. It might sound like a lot, but if you craft your workout, you can fit it into a busy life.

She says, “It really depends on what your personality is and and figuring out, listening to what could work for you and managing your expectations. And setting goals that are attainable and not being too hard on yourself. Not trying too much too fast.”

Remember, you don’t have to jump in and go all out on day one. Spend a few weeks establishing the habit, and you’ll have a better chance of taking that resolution well into the year ahead.