Posted on 29 January 2025
Active IQ Ambassador Claire Floquet offers her expert advice on managing behaviour change for health and fitness. Drawing on proven strategies, such as finding activities you love, setting SMART goals, and building habits gradually, she shares how to create a healthier, more balanced lifestyle that truly lasts.
Read on for Claire’s practical tips and inspiration to make health and fitness a part of your life—beyond New Year’s resolutions.
By Claire Floquet, Active IQ Ambassador
As the first month of the year winds down, many of us reflect on our New Year’s resolutions. For those focusing on health and fitness, this is often the time when motivation starts to wane.
But what if we approach change differently? Instead of dramatic overhauls, effective and lasting behaviour change comes from strategies that integrate seamlessly into our lives. Here, we explore practical ways to create meaningful shifts in your health and fitness habits that truly stick.
Find Activities You Love
One of the key pillars of successful behaviour change is finding activities that you genuinely enjoy. When you link fitness to something you’re passionate about or already do, it feels less like a chore and more like a natural part of your life. For instance:
- Parents: Incorporate physical activity into family time by playing ball games or going on active adventures with your kids. It’s fun, engaging, and keeps everyone moving.
- Social Butterflies: Hit the gym with your best friend or join a group fitness class. A workout buddy can keep you accountable and make exercising a shared experience.
- Dog Lovers: Turn dog-walking into a workout by taking longer, faster-paced walks or finding dog-friendly hiking trails. It’s a win-win for you and your furry companion.
- Football Fans: Channel your love for the game by organising a casual kickabout with friends or joining a local five-a-side team. It’s a great way to stay active while enjoying the sport you love.
By aligning fitness with what you enjoy, you’re more likely to stick with it over the long haul.
Set SMART Goals: Small Steps to Big Wins
Goal setting is critical in managing lifestyle changes. A proven approach is to use the SMART framework, ensuring your goals are:
- Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve (e.g., walk 7,000 steps daily).
- Measurable: Quantify progress so you can track it (e.g., increase steps by 500 each week).
- Achievable: Set realistic targets that align with your current abilities and constraints.
- Relevant: Choose goals that matter to you and fit your broader aspirations.
- Time-bound: Establish a timeline to reach your objectives.
Start small and build momentum. For example, instead of declaring, “I’ll lose 30 pounds,” begin with, “I’ll drink more water and take a 10-minute walk daily for the next month.” Once you achieve one milestone, set the next step, building confidence and ensuring your goals evolve with you.
Track Progress and Celebrate Achievements
Tracking progress is a powerful motivator. When you see how far you’ve come, it reinforces your efforts and inspires you to keep going. Here are a few methods:
- Use a fitness app or smartwatch to monitor activity levels, steps, or workouts.
- Maintain a simple journal to record goals, achievements, and how you feel after exercising.
- Take progress photos or measurements to visually capture changes over time.
Tracking isn’t just about the data—it’s about celebrating the wins, no matter how small. Recognising achievements helps build positive momentum. Consider rewarding yourself with healthy treats, such as:
- Buying yourself new workout gear after reaching a milestone.
- Enjoying a relaxing massage or spa day as a reward for consistency.
- Taking a day to indulge in a favourite hobby or activity as a personal celebration.
These rewards reinforce your progress without undermining your goals and keep the journey enjoyable.
Embrace Tiny Habits
The journey to a healthier lifestyle doesn’t require massive, immediate overhauls. In fact, small changes often yield the most significant, lasting results. This concept, championed by behaviour change experts, is known as the tiny habits approach. Here’s how it works:
- Start small: Introduce changes that are so manageable they almost feel effortless. For example, do one push-up a day or swap one sugary drink for water.
- Anchor new habits: Attach new behaviours to existing routines. If you’re already brushing your teeth twice a day, use that time to stretch or practise deep breathing.
- Build gradually: As these small changes become second nature, layer on additional habits. Over time, these incremental shifts snowball into a transformed lifestyle.
The beauty of tiny habits is that they minimise disruption to your daily life, making them easier to sustain. Over time, these small shifts add up to monumental change.
Tying It All Together: The New Year’s Resolution Check-In
As we near the end of January, it’s the perfect time to revisit your New Year’s resolutions. Rather than focusing on what hasn’t gone to plan, reflect on what’s working and what adjustments can make your goals more attainable. Ask yourself:
- Are my goals too ambitious, or can I break them down into smaller steps?
- Am I tracking my progress in a way that keeps me motivated?
- Have I chosen activities that I genuinely enjoy?
- Can I implement tiny changes that fit seamlessly into my routine?
Remember, sustainable change isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. By focusing on enjoyable activities, setting SMART goals, tracking your progress, and embracing small habits, you’re building a foundation for a healthier, happier lifestyle that lasts well beyond January.
This year let’s make behaviour change management the key to achieving not just our resolutions but our long-term health and fitness aspirations.