A personal trainer has shared her top tips for how to stay motivated in 2024.

With the season’s festivities now behind us, many are turning their attention to the new year.

Maybe it’s a quiet decision to find a new hobby or a New Year’s resolution loudly made at a party to hit the gym more.

Staying motivated long-term is key to succeeding in the new year’s fitness and health goals, but our hectic lives throw constant curveballs into the mix, making it difficult to make regular exercise a routine.

Personal trainer Hayley Zikri from Marlow shared her top ten tips to stay motivated in 2024 - and beyond.

1. Get out in nature - do not underestimate the power of walking

2. Consistency and balance are key

3. Get good quality sleep

Bucks Free Press: Hayley Zikri, from Marlow, has lived in Buckinghamshire since 2005.Hayley Zikri, from Marlow, has lived in Buckinghamshire since 2005. (Image: Hayley Zikri)

4. Eat the right amount of protein, whole foods and limit sugar intake

5. Drink plenty of water

6. Move more & aim to hit a minimum of 10,000+ steps a day 

7. Include strength training 2-3 times a week, especially important for women entering perimenopause or menopause

8. Practise mindfulness, gratitude and embrace positivity

9. Find a way to minimise stress which can lead to high cortisol levels which has a detrimental effect on our health

10. Prioritise self-care

Hayley has a background in rehabilitation, strength and conditioning coaching, and kettlebells instruction.

She provides personal training from a private studio in Beaconsfield New Town or at clients' homes.

 

Before making a career change into fitness and health, she worked in a corporate job in the IT sector.

Her understanding of mental and emotional aspects of health and fitness stem from her battle to overcome an eating disorder spanning her adolescence to late adult years.

Equipped with these life experiences, empathy and passion for wellness, Hayley said she can “effective encourage clients towards achieving their fitness goals, no matter what their situation.”