WoW! Reset 2024: How you can up your fitness game in 2024

THERE are 1,440 minutes in each day, so there shouldn’t be any reason for us all to find 20 minutes to look after ourselves and make our fitness our priority.

So says Lesley Giltinan, whose advice for 2024 is to start thinking of exercise as a reward, and an investment in our health and well-being, rather than something to ‘get out of the way.’ 

The Cork woman is the powerhouse behind LeanWithLesley and provides around 20,000 training sessions every month to people all over the world, both on the ground in Cork Con FC and virtually livestreaming and on demand on the app.

January, she says, along with September are the busiest times of the year for the fitness industry as they’re both post-holiday periods.

But to anyone feeling guilty for easing off on exercise or indulging in more food and drink than normal, she says … that’s normal!

Of course it is ok to step back a bit in December, when we are all on holidays and catching up with family, friends and loved ones. There is nothing like celebrating life and enjoying that sense of belonging.

Her approach is about setting achievable goals and creating healthy lifestyle habits throughout the year.

If we can do this, it’s so much easier to get back on track after the holidays – or any other ‘speed bumps’ we have to navigate in life.

“Also, if we have created healthy habits regarding our eating and our exercise and we are consistent throughout the year, then we genuinely will only step back a bit during our holidays. Your body and your mind will want to kick back to the healthy habits."

Having said that, she understands how easy it it can be to put ourselves at the back of the “things to do” list but she points out that when we are physically fit we are mentally fit and able to deal with life’s curve balls with confidence and positivity.

“The easiest thing to do is to wake up and say ‘I’ll start tomorrow’ or next week or next month!” she says.

Before we know it, it will be February.

“Start back with setting achievable goals. If you set achievable goals, you will reach them, and when you reach them, you will feel good and when you feel good you will look good.

“And as we get back on track or perhaps start out fitness journey for the first time, slowly but surely, we become fitter and stronger, and we see and feel our lives become better. We train to get strong and to stay strong both physically and mentally. There is no better medicine in the world. It does take discipline, dedication, and determination with a little sprinkle of ‘Do It’ attitude but they are all very desirable attributes!” If you are finding it particularly difficult to get motivated buy a 2024 diary for journaling your progress.

“Record daily the food you ate, the drinks you drank, the water you drank, the exercise you did, take the odd selfie and keep create an album on your phone. That way you can review your progress." Often my clients don’t see their progress as clearly as I do so by having your own record it makes it easier to recognise your achievements. 

For someone embarking on a fitness journey, it can be overwhelming and sometimes intimidating, she says, but it doesn’t have to be either: just the benefits of being fit and healthy.

“Being fit is empowering! It doesn’t mean that you have to climb Mount Everest or squat lift twice your body weight, it’s about fitting in the time in your day, even if it’s just those 20 minutes. Just make sure that whatever your choice of movement is to keep fit and strong that you are, in that time, focused on you! You are thinking about the muscles in your body that you are using, and you are keeping your mind connected with your body. I guarantee you that if you keep your mind connected to your body you will see and feel the difference in a way that is so rewarding and you will reap the benefits far more quickly that just you know, going through the paces, thinking ‘I’ll just get this done and over with and when it’s done it’s done.' 

"It’s about doing the best that you can do, not competing or comparing, it’s your best!” 

It’s vital, she says, to choose a form of movement that you like be that gym, yoga, dance, walk, climb or skate.

“Choose something that’s you can do anywhere, that way you don’t have to get in your car if you’re caught for time, you can do it at home or get out and go for a brisk walk, whatever it is we can all make 20 minutes in the day. But it’s also important to incorporate some resistance training into your fitness plan to protect our bones, protect our ts, build muscle, burn fat, manage chronic conditions and sharpen our thinking skills.” And what’s her advice for the days we don't feel like showing up?

Often, including myself, you might not feel like showing up, but when you show up and when the workout (or whatever your choice of exercise is) is done, you feel a million dollars! There is no better feeling. Being fit helps our wellbeing, our wellbeing is the state of being comfortable, healthy, and happy. Fit is empowering and as we become familiar with that feeling the days of not wanting to show up become less and less. It’s one hundred percent about commitment and consistency and creating the good habits and breaking the bad ones. Create the habit and it becomes the norm.” As we ease into the new year, ultimately, she says that looking after our wellbeing does not have to be complicated, costly or time consuming.

“However, making time for our personal wellbeing, well that’s priceless.”

Top tips for getting back in the groove:

-Believe in yourself.

-Never doubt what you can do.

-Structure your day to make time for your personal fitness, it’s more important than that meeting with your VIP client.

-Set achievable goals. If we set achievable goals, we can reach the and when we reach them, we will feel good and if we feel good we look good!

-, it’s never too late and you are never too old to reach your goals!

Top tips for newcomers to exercise:

all the positive things to being fit:

We have more energy 

 We feel happier 

 We are more positive 

 We are less stressed 

 We become more confident 

 Exercise improves our brain power 

 Exercise keeps us younger looking