University of East London Homepage

Sports psychology expert offers tips on how to keep New Year fitness plan going

Tuesday 15 January 2013

New Fear Fitness

With many people now pounding the treadmills of their local gym, The University of East London’s leading sports psychology expert has revealed that two in three will have reneged on their New Year fitness regime within three months.

James Beale, who is a chartered sport and exercise psychologist and Senior Lecturer at UEL, has provided some fascinating insights into how people can maintain their New Year fitness resolution.

James said: “After the festive period and beginning of a New Year, many of us will be looking to shed the excess Christmas pounds and get fit. For those of us who are regular gym buffs, we have become quite accustomed to the traditional onslaught of New Year fitness disciples taking over our treadmills and exercise bikes – not that we begrudge anyone trying to embark on a healthier lifestyle.”

However, research shows two in three people will have stopped their fitness plan within three months.

According to James, the stereotypical fitness recruit in January is someone who enters the gym ready to work out, is fully motivated, wants to learn the necessary exercise techniques quickly and see immediate results.   Invariably, this approach is designed to fail, as it leads to the individual pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion in the initial sessions.

Afterwards, the person feels as though they have worked hard and gone some way to achieving their targets. At the same time, muscle groups that have been neglected for long periods will almost inevitably suffer with what sport scientists term: DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

So what can people do to make sure their fitness programme isn’t just a flash in the pan and  how can they avoid throwing in the towel early?

James’ tips are:

  • Start slowly - research shows those who use exercise at a moderate intensity get similar fitness gains and are more likely to continue their exercise in the long term.  Try and avoid the temptation to train to your maximum in the initial sessions.
  • Exercise in natural environments – recent evidence suggests that exercise in pleasant natural environments, such as a parks and wide open spaces, provides psychological benefits that exceed that of other environments. 
  • Buddy up – some evidence exists that exercising with a partner or in groups can act as a motivating factor.

James said: “If you incorporate these three factors, you give yourself a far better chance of continuing to exercise in the long term.”

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

Information for screenreader users:

For a general description of these pages and an explanation of how they should work with screenreading equipment please follow this link: Link to general description

For further information on this web site’s accessibility features please follow this link: Link to accessibility information