Set small goals for big rewards, UAE experts say

When it comes to fitness resolutions, September is one of the busiest months of the year, experts say.

DUBAI // When it comes to fitness resolutions, September is one of the busiest months of the year, according to the experts.

“Absolutely, it’s like a January, really, because people have gone a little bit mad over the holidays and then they think, ‘Right, right this is it, I’ve got to do it again’,” said Carole Holditch, founder of Good Habits, in Dubai, which has been providing nutrition and fitness coaching in the emirate for nearly two decades.

But to successfully stick to a new fitness and nutrition plan, it’s important to keep expectations in check.

“Your bad habits didn’t happen overnight, you’re not going to change them overnight,” Mrs Holditch said. “I think that is where resolutions go wrong, it’s too much, too quick.”

Mrs Holditch, a nutritionist, said the secret to sticking to a new healthy lifestyle was to get organised, plan your meals for the week ahead, reduce portion sizes and keep a daily food diary.

“Log it before you hog it,” she said. Instead of eating three large meals a day, Mrs Holditch advises five smaller, healthier ones.

And when it comes to exercise, start small – about 75 minutes a week – and build up.

“That’s a start. And then next week increase it or increase the amount of time,” she said.