The new year is almost upon us and no doubt many people will be tempted to whip out the compression tights and weight-loss shakes.
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A new report shows that improving fitness and health remain Australia's top priorities for 2022.
But while January 1 might appear as a clean slate for healthy new beginnings, a recent survey from HCF Australia indicates that although three-quarters of Australians will set themselves goals, only 22 per cent will stay committed to them.
The survey also suggested that in 2022 some 54 per cent of goal-setters intend to do more physical activity or exercise, while 47 per cent will strive to eat more healthily.
For those taking up this challenge, the advice from local industry experts is simple - start slowly and build yourself up.
Personal trainer and owner of The Vault Performance Training Hub Shoun Piper often sees people place an unreasonable amount of pressure on themselves, where one slip up can mean the end of their fitness journey.
"They expect results too soon," he said.
"You'll have people start coming [to the gym] in late January, early February, and you'll know by Easter who's staying and who's going."
According to HCF Australia's recent survey results, more than 3.4 million Australians have taken out a gym membership as part of a New Year's Resolution that they will hardly use.
Mr Piper said it is easy to be convinced that Christmas is the cause of added weight gain. "They didn't put the weight on just in December," he said. "They put it on over the course of the year so their fitness journey should be even longer than that."
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And while "Rome wasn't built in a day," he said that not everything has to be done in the first month of kick-starting a health journey.
"It's not so much about doing the biggest, longest training sessions that you can straight away," he said.
"It's trying to get two sessions in a week consistently for a month and then maybe moving to a third.
"And then, if they love it, then obviously try to make a daily routine of exercise.
A healthy routine is the key for those living a busy lifestyle, according to nutritionist Katrina Brown, who said that making small steps every day will help people see positive results.
"Slow down a little bit and have a look at what hasn't worked in the past," she said.
"Pick that one thing that you feel is not working for you and slowly cut that out and then replace it with whole foods. Eating just a more balanced diet, in general, is going to help no matter where you start.
"You're going to see the difference and you're going to feel the difference."
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