Fitness HABITS .. To finally make in 2025 (& 3 to BREAK)
We all know that our habits can make or break us.
If you want to see why someone is successful, see what their daily habits are.
No matter what goal you have it is your habits that will determine whether you will achieve them.
The new year is the perfect opportunity to re-dial in on your workouts, whether you’ve fallen out of your regular routine, just starting out or you’re just looking to make your sessions more effective.
But while having the intention to focus on your fitness grind is great, your fitness habits are really the foundation of all of your efforts.
Fitness habits aren’t about the "best" workout or hitting the gym a certain number of times a week; they’re about establishing practices in your life that will support your workout routine and help you reach your goals.
Of course, fully embracing good fitness habits also means saying goodbye to the ones that don’t serve you. Sure, it takes time to make and break habits, but this isn't just about January get-fit resolutions—it’s about using the beginning of the new year as an opportunity to create long-term change.
Stick to a consistent fitness routine—even if that means planning fewer workouts a week.
Consistency is a major key to making fitness a part of your lifestyle. This starts with setting a schedule you can stick to. If you tend to fall off the fitness wagon, only to swear you’ll start working out six days a week (for real this time), you might be setting yourself up to fall short and give up—and so the cycle continues.
It’s an easy trap to fall into. Instead of beating yourself up about it, re-evaluate what’s realistic for you.
Maybe you can hit the gym only three days a week, even if five looks better on paper—or maybe nights work better than mornings.
When working out truly becomes a habit, you’re less likely to "yo-yo" in and out of your fitness routine, which can slow down progress toward your goals, "Slow and steady wins the race” Keep your workout routine and your healthy habits consistent and you will definitely see results after a few months.
Plan out your workout before you hit the gym.
When you’re wandering around looking for the next machine you want to use, or you’re mulling over the next abs exercise you want to do, you’re not just wasting time—it also might be making your workout less efficient.
Rather than ‘winging it’ decide what you’re going to do before you get to the gym. Having a workout plan will keep you focused on executing exercises specific to the results you are looking to accomplish.
My clients have full access to our on demand home workouts along side a their personal gym training plan, but you can write out a plan in your Notes app the night before a morning workout or decide on your game plan for the whole week on a Sunday night. (This helps ensure you’ll fit your workout into your schedule too.)
Plan out the moves you want to do, along with your sets and reps (or seconds). This will also help you resist the temptation to skip out on those last few moments when you don’t feel like it. Your plan should be structured but flexible enough that you can move things around if a machine is taken or there’s no floor space in sight.
Actually make warming up a priority.
Don’t skimp on warming up and stretching before your workout.
It may be easy to cut out, but it sets up an important foundation for the rest of your session. Warm-up stretches should be dynamic, which means you’re continually moving through them (rather than holding them in one place, or static stretching).
A dynamic warm-up preps your body for the work it’s about to do because it quite literally warms your muscles by driving blood flow to them. As your heart begins to pump more blood, your muscle cells become more ready to take in the oxygen (and other compounds) that are supplied through your bloodstream. Plus, warming up also reduces your risk for injury; muscles and connective tissues are more elastic when they’re warm, so there’s a lower chance of pulling and straining them.
In short, it’s worthwhile to take five to 10 minutes before a workout to get in the zone (physically and mentally).
Diversify your workout routine—at least a little bit.
While it’s amazing to center your fitness routine on things you feel good doing, repeatedly doing the same exact workout with the same weights…will make it less effective over time, as your body gets good at it. I don’t mean switching things up every session, I simply mean doing so when things get ‘stale’ and challenging yourself!
We all tend to get in the habit of doing the same things all the time, and the body adapts. Part of that adaptation is good. After all, it means you’re fitter or stronger, and it takes consistency to get to that point. Which is what we want! But if your workout starts feeling easy, exercise and profession is stalling..that’s a sign that you might need to go heavier, push harder and change things up. That’s why I ask for regular feedback from clients on how their training is going, and for them to make use of logging their training sessions on their personal portals and also request regular training footage for video analysis. Otherwise, you might maintain your gains, but you won’t continue to see improvements.
Start a goal-setting practice (without focusing on aesthetics).
When you have a specific objective you’re working toward (rather than simply staying or getting in shape), you’re more likely to stay on track with your routine. This year, try writing down your goals, and break them down into monthly, weekly, and even daily smaller targets that you must accomplish. Set deadlines and hold yourself accountable.
Make a practice of regularly re-evaluating as you meet them. (Maybe that’s once a month, or four times a year.)
These should be measurable goals, such as being able to do a full push-up off your knees, running a certain distance without stopping, finishing a particular race, or lifting a certain amount of weight.
Keep in mind, it’s important that you’re not only working toward aesthetics,
Mentally, [working out] becomes a far more freeing experience when we move for the sake of feeling good, for strengthening our minds and bodies, and for really experiencing the body and all that it can do.
Habits to ditch in 2025
1. Lose the all-or-nothing mindset.
People often think of a healthy lifestyle as all-or-nothing: Either you're working out every day and eating flawlessly, or you’re not. It’s time to break out of that mindset. Fitness doesn’t have to be this way. Just because you [didn’t feel great about your nutrition] for a week or missed a few workouts doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel until next year.
Keep picking up where you left off and moving forward, even when you think the timing isn’t right. (Maybe you’ve got a holiday coming up, or you’re really busy with work.) You can’t wait for everything to be perfect for you to get your health and fitness on track. That perfect moment may never come, so always do what you can.
2. Stop doing workouts you hate because you think you should do them.
This one’s a biggie, and us coaches say it time and time again: The best workout is the one you’ll do. If you hate indoor cycling, don’t do it just because your best friend swears by it. If you can’t stand running, no need to force yourself to log miles.
While it is important to have a mix of cardio and resistance training in a well-rounded fitness routine, it’s hard to stick with something you don’t like just because you’ve heard it’s ‘good’ for you. Try different workouts until you find some you actually like. Maybe that’s CrossFit, Boxing or Swimming. And don’t forget, a brisk walk counts as physical activity too—so you can always put on a good podcast and go for a walk if a HIIT workout just isn’t your thing.
3. Crack down on procrastination.
This happens to the best of us..Fitness professionals included. Sometimes you might sit and delay your workout. You have another coffee, watch another episode of your favourite series, scroll through Instagram, and say you’ll work out in a bit. But sometimes you delay so long that it’s too late and you have to skip your workout completely. (Sound familiar?)
Procrastination can seriously interfere with your fitness goals. While it’s easier said than done, the best thing you can do is push through the urge to lie on your bed in your workout gear. "Make an effort to ignore that little voice in your head that tells you to wait a while. Don’t even give it a chance to talk. Just get up and [go]! The more you flex your willpower muscles, the stronger they get.
And this goes for making and breaking all fitness habits.
What’s one habit you’re ready to embrace this year? Let me know! I’d love to hear it 💬
Rachel
R Health Fit Coaching
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