This week marks the beginning of the third full week of January, and after a long holiday weekend, the first slip in many of our New Year’s resolutions.

Going to the gym every day may have seemed like a good idea when you were sitting on your parents’ couch staring at the bottom of an empty cookie tin. It might not seem as possible after completing your first week of classes and getting a feel for what the semester really will be like.

1. Accept that we all need fitness

General fitness is different than a more specific goal, like losing or gaining weight. 

“When you stay active and fit, you burn more calories, even when you’re at rest,” according to Mary Greeley’s Online Health Library. “Being fit lets you do more physical activity, and it lets you exercise harder without as much work. It can also help you manage your weight.”

It recommends you do moderate aerobic activity for at least two and a half hours spread over the week — such as a brisk 10-minute walk between classes, three times a day, five days a week. This can be paired with 75 minutes of rigorous activity with a higher heart rate.

2. Pick an appropriate goal

The activities you do should match the type of fitness you want to improve. For aerobic fitness, the goal is to breathe faster and increase the heart rate and would include cardio-based activities such as Zumba.

Muscular fitness involves increasing muscle strength and the length of time you can use them, with activities that involve lifting your own weight or machine weights. For flexibility and increasing the motion of your joints and muscles, simple stretching can increase fitness along with yoga.

3. Stick with it for 66 days

In 2009, researchers from the University College London tested how long it takes to form a habit and published their findings in the European Journal of Social Psychology. Prior to their study, it was generally accepted that a habit took 21 days, or three weeks, to form.

But the researchers found that it takes 66 days for a habit to form. They defined a habit as something one could do automatically, without much thought. 

Phillippa Lally, one of the researchers, told the UCL news, “To create a habit you need to repeat the behavior in the same situation. It is important that something about the setting where you perform the behavior is consistent so that it can cue the behavior. If you choose a context cue, for example after lunch, we don’t think that it matters if you eat lunch at different times in the day.” (See more here.)

4. Do it the simple way.

Walk to places that are less than a mile away, like around campus. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. It doesn’t have to be every time, but once more than you usually do is a step in the right direction. 

Find a buddy. Working out with a partner keeps you accountable, meaning you are more likely to actually show up and do it. It can also make the experience more enjoyable to have someone to talk with.

5. Turn it into a treat

Instead of fitness being another item on the to-do list, use it as a reward. Take a break from studying to visit the gym and do 30 minutes of activity. Join a class with friends. The chemicals released during exercise can improve your mood and give you more energy so your brain is ready when you head back to the books. 

6. Reevaluate

Instead of giving up on your goal, adjust it. Spread the amount of time you work out over your entire day or week, and make sure it’s an activity with some aspect you can enjoy.

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Unsure what fitness class to try? Check out our reporters’ experiences.

Cy-Cycle, an on-campus cycling class

Jazzercise (without the leotards and leg warmers)

Choosing between Fitness and Sunrise Yoga

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