Forget the unrealistic goals and focus on intrinsic motivation. Learn a new skill, accomplish a physical feat, or build a positive habit. Start small and gradually increase the challenge.
January can be an excellent opportunity to reset, but many fitness resolutions – such as sculpting a six-pack or losing a lot of weight – can be unrealistic or unsustainable. When taken to extremes, they can also end up hurting your body image, mental health and metabolism. This year, consider a fitness resolution that has nothing to do with how you look. Focus on learning a skill, accomplishing a physical feat or simply building a habit.
These can all help you develop intrinsic motivation, or the desire to pursue something because it is inherently satisfying or enjoyable. The key is setting a goal that’s the right size, says Karin Nordin, a mindset and behaviour change expert. “I always recommend setting a goal that challenges you a little bit, feels a little intimidating and even scary,” she says. But it shouldn’t be so challenging that it feels impossible, she says. On a scale of one to 10 for how achievable it feels, she suggests aiming for a goal you would rate an eight or higher.Nordin also recommends giving yourself a “prototype period” to help you refine a longer-term goal. You can tell yourself: “In January, these are the resolutions I’m going to try on,” she says, “like putting on a sweater in the store before you buy it.” Maybe that’s a month of a weekly Pilates class, or two weeks of a gentle warm-up before each workout. See how it goes, and then decide if you need to readjust.Pull-ups help improve upper body, back and grip strength, as well as core stability, and they require mobility through multiple joints. They’re a difficult exercise, but there are good ways to work up to a pull-up or to modify it to be easier.Start with exercises to strengthen your biceps, triceps, lats, shoulders, hands and core, says Maillard Howell, a personal trainer and gym co-owner. “There’s a whole cast of supporting characters that has to sync for you to do a pull-up,” he say
Fitness Resolutions Motivation Goals Habits Pull-Ups
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