Self-care key for sticking to New Year’s resolutions: gym owner
Posted January 2, 2024 7:55 pm.
Last Updated January 2, 2024 8:05 pm.
With the new year comes a lot of new gym-related resolutions, but one Vancouver gym owner says this commitment is about more than just showing up.
“I think it’s about a fresh start every new year, it’s an opportunity to set intentions for what you want to achieve in a year,” said Phaedra Wright, owner of VIP Fitness and Lifestyle. “Fitness is definitely something people do like to add into that.”
A recent poll shows 18 per cent of Canadians are looking to improve their physical health as their resolution.
But Wright tells CityNews that overcoming “gym fear” is the first step towards achieving fitness goals.
“It’s been a big deterrent for people going to the gym, they’re going into the space feeling not 100 per cent comfortable with knowing what to do,” she said. “Feeling like everyone’s looking at them, which I can guarantee they’re not, everybody is feeling the same way.”
The key to sticking to your goals throughout the year is keeping them realistic, Wright says, and finding a workout plan that’s comfortable and enjoyable. She adds what may work for an influencer on the internet, may not work for everyone.
“If you’re new to the gym, hiring a trainer for at least a period of time to get comfortable with the equipment and knowing what your body needs (is important) because everyone is different and has different imbalances, areas of weakness that they should target,” she said.
VIP Fitness offers personal training, nutrition, lifestyle sessions and group classes, which Wright says is important because maintaining physical health is also dependent on mental health.
“Making sure you’re taking care of yourself mentally as well, if you’re extremely stressed out, maybe about a job that’s not serving you or relationships in your life that are not supportive, it’s going to be hard to make this change,” she said.
And lastly, Wright says the key to feeling good is staying balanced. Setting too many restrictions around food or exercise can be dangerous for people’s physical and mental health.
