January CAN BE the best time to start a healthier lifestyle...

You've seen the "new year, new me" posts, and you've seen the judgmental eye rolls and "stay out my gym" responses. Both may be equally naive, but January in Australia can be an amazing time of year to kickstart progress in your health and fitness.

Whenever I set my own new years goals and plans, I think back to my days studying Psychology and remember coming across the surprising realisation that temporal landmarking (fancy speak for working to change behaviour to a specific date or event) actually seems to have some merit to it. (While we're busting myths, so does losing a lot of weight initially with unsustainable methods, and telling people about your goals and plans, within reason).

As naive as it seems that we would switch into an entirely new persona at the stroke of midnight on NYE cinderella-style, the idea of tying a new behaviour to a specific date or event has a lot of positives, including taking away some unhelpful guilt from the 'old self' behaviours, drawing a line underneath a plan, and cornering oneself into action when the eternal 'tomorrow' becomes 'today'. There's some good evidence that it can be used as a successful tool in behaviour change.

Worried about a busy gym? For the 15 years I've been working as a personal trainer, whenever anyone asks me if they gym is absolutely packed the first week of January, my answer is always the same. "Not really!" For every wide-eyed new found fitness enthusiast, there's somebody else who is away, or taking a well earned break from their normal routine. Summer holidays in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne mean quieter roads, gyms, and a more laidback 6 weeks in general - combined with more daylight and generally speaking nicer weather to start a new exercise regime!

So if you're looking to start new behaviours this year, wanting to eat better, move more, attend a gym or just become more physically active, don't let some wet blanket of a gym-junkie tell you you should have been doing it all of December. And if you're a regular who sees someone in the gym who's new - well let's be honest, many people find it intimidating to be approached in the gym even with good intentions, so just smile at them, put your headphones back in and remember that everyone started somewhere, and that new habits are hard to form, but at least they're trying.

If you're looking to start a healthier lifestyle, eat better, move more, or improve your health and fitness with a personal trainer, make an instant booking with a friendly one here.