City experts dish out tips to keep your fitness journey on track in 2024

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Curious about the dying momentum of New Year resolutions, especially a common one - exercise, we sought insight from three fitness experts to help change our perspectives and sustain our fitness journey beyond the first week of January.

An immediate light-bulb moment hit when freelance fitness professional Giles D'Souza pointed out a habitual mistake made; to rely on motivation. "You can't be motivated every day. You make a decision and carry out the action because you choose to do it," he explains about consistency.

Sunil Lalchand Singolia and Rachna Jain

Supplementing this approach tactfully, fitness coach Sunil Lalchand Singolia suggests displaying a simple reminder of your target or the reason for making the resolution to help provide a push. He reminds us, "Fitness is a slow process. Results need consistency; one step every day. Set a realistic goal and keep your aim on it. Put up this goal on your wall or someplace where you can see it every day."

Rachna Jain, yoga coach and practitioner, adds that it's crucial to be mindful of one's choice when one skips a day of exercise or loses track of their routine. Make a conscious decision to adhere to your fitness journey. Jain resolves, "If you invest one hour in a day, you will get the returns for the next 23 hours." On days that you are pressed for time, instead of skipping your routine, try exercising or incorporating movement for a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes a day.

Schedule your workouts to stay on track. Representation pic

Singolia explains that often resistance to exercise or sustaining it may come from approaches like incorrectly estimating that exercise is difficult, or that it is difficult to make a change in lifestyle, fear of stepping out of one's comfort zone or the notion that healthy is boring or healthy food is tasteless. He notes, "Prioritise your health and allot time for exercise."

All three experts advise starting slow with realistic goals and without being too ambitious. Keep a steady focus on a few changes or attainable targets. D'Souza notes, "We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can achieve in a year."

Sustain your fitness routine

For the at-home freelancer
Divya Ramesh, co-founder Rough Paper Creative, 35
Schedule: Flexible timings, work-from-home set-up, up to 10 hours work load
Preferred exercise: Strength and weight training mixed with cardio.

Giles D'Souza's tip:
Find an activity that you like so that working out doesn't become a stressor. Begin with squats to crawls, vertical towel or belt pulls, around the world exercises, core exercises and similar moves. Beginners can attempt five sets of five reps with a break after every full set. Increase the sets and reps as you feel possible. @one.meal.monster

Rachna Jain's tip:
Invest in basic fitness equipment like a mat and dumbbells. Try out planks, lunges, squats, burpees and push-ups, giving five minutes to each and completing a 30-minute session. Switch it up with yoga and weight training. @rachnajainyoga

For the traveller with an erratic schedule

Radhika Maheshwari, artist management and marketing, Rad Art Media, 25
Schedule: Morning riser, irregular schedule, working weekends, constant travelling
Preferred exercise: Yoga and zumba through YouTube videos

Sunil Lalchand Singolia's tip:
Make exercise an anchor so that there is structure to your day. It will help combat irregular sleeping patterns and food habits. In case lack of mobility renders your body stiff, go slow with yoga, stretches and some weight training. Slowly, try putting in a 45-minute cardio and weight training workout whenever you find time during travels or in between meetings. @sunil_singolia88

For the nine-to-five worker

Deepak Suvarna, digital marketing professional, 34
Schedule: Up to 90 minutes commute, 10-hour workdays
Preferred exercise: Dynamic routines such as calisthenics

Sunil Lalchand Singolia's tip:
Since your schedule is fixed, it's best to slot in 45 minutes for the gym or a calisthenics group. Get a personal coach to ensure you stick to routine and choose a space that's close to your office or home. Add weights to your preferred style of cardio.

Rachna Jain in the lizard pose demonstrating a section from a yoga flow workout done at home

Rachna Jain's tip:
On days when you are pressed for time and cannot show up for your regular routine, try chair yoga at your office desk stretching your back muscles, neck, hands and legs. You can also opt for brisk walking in your office or residential building post your work day to end on a refreshing note.

Nutrition matters

We fault healthy eating resolutions because we don't realise that procuring food is a survival instinct that can't be delayed. A little planning goes a long way. Prepare a meal chart based on your schedule to avoid wasting time deciding what to cook only to end up ordering food. Get groceries accordingly. Or opt for a meal subscription service.
Meal prep hacks: Store chopped veggies in a steel container of water. Pluck leafy veggies and store in a perforated steel container with tissue above and below. Boil and steam chicken cutting down cooking time. Store cooked rice in a vessel covered with a damp muslin cloth.

Jiyaajit Kaur, nutritionist and lifestyle coach, -@coach.jiahjeet