Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 54 JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2021 S H O P + R E N E W The year 2020 was, needless to say, challenging, so it's no wonder we're eager to turn the calendar page to January and get a fresh start in 2021. Of course, with New Year's Day comes New Year's resolutions, which are maybe needed now more than ever as everything from our sleeping, eating, and exercise habits and stress levels have fluctuated throughout different levels of RESOLVE TO GET FIT PHOTOGRAPH BY SHUTTERSTOCK 10 Ways to keep your New Year's resolutions in 2021. BY ALEX ANDRA PECCI stay-at-home orders during the pandemic. It's been harder than ever before to have healthy routines amid all the upheaval. That's why we tapped four of the North Shore's top wellness experts to give us 10 tips for how to recalibrate your body and mind, set healthy and attainable goals, and stick with them all throughout the new year and beyond. Cheers to 2021! Working out at home has become the new norm. 1. ENGAGE IN A SUPPORTIVE DAILY PRACTICE Adopting some type of "supportive daily practice" is important, says Dawn Tardif, CEO and founder of BodiScience Wellness Center and Spa in Beverly. That could be anything from exercise, to meditation or focusing on your breathing for a few minutes, to writing down something you're grateful for. 2. GET A BUDDY (OR BUDDIES) Having a community of people who help and encourage each other is incredibly helpful, says Julie Bokat, co-owner of Fuel Training Studio in Newburyport. "The best results happen when you have a team of people around you or a support system around you," she says. "That community, I think, is what keeps people accountable." Having friends involved also makes your workout more fun, and fun is the "number one" way to feel excited about it, Bokat says. 3. SET SMALL GOALS One reason that many New Year's resolutions often fail? Because they're way too big. Bokat says she's not a fan of "big, crazy goals." Smaller goals are more realistic and easier to achieve. "Making tiny little incremental changes in your daily existence is what's going to add up to big goals," Bokat says. Alexsandro Gois, a personal trainer and group fitness instructor at the Beverly YMCA and co-founder of Sol Fit Beverly, agrees. "Many people just focus on what they want and forget to focus time and energy on what they have to change and do to reach that goal," he says. 4. BE SPECIFIC Be sure your goals are specific, says Ashley Springett, M.Ed., CPT, who is not only an ACE- certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor and co-founder of Sol Fit Beverly but also a dance and fitness teacher at Salem Academy Charter School. "Saying, 'I am going to exercise more' is too vague and honestly quite lackluster ; it's hard to feel excited or emotionally connected to such a statement, and therefore the dedication to said goal will likely fall by the wayside," she says. "But if someone says, 'I am going to get my body moving by taking three