So, it’s January and I expect most of you have already made some form of conscious effort to workout, diet and exercise. It is very common this time of year!

We all know deep down December isn’t great for nutrition and you probably slipped on the exercise front too. So that means you’ll be going hard in January.

Everyone starts with amazing intentions and intentions are good. But this is a reminder that we cannot operate at an unrealistic intensity. Our minds and bodies simply just cannot do it and here’s some reasons why.

Working out hard requires a lot of energy and discipline. Eating well does too. Lots of people go into January not aiming to eat well or workout hard; it becomes eat nothing and kill yourself physically.

Hard workouts do burn a lot of calories but they also release a lot of stress hormones – time and intensity massively intensify all of this. If you are not eating much this puts immense pressure on your body and also your immunity. It’s no wonder we all give up come February!

Stress hormones are something we need – it’s how we survive. But living like this for too long can put you in a state of burnout. Burnout is really common and lots of people might not even realise they have hit it.

What does burnout look like?

If you are approaching or in burnout you may have symptoms such as:

• Sugar cravings
• Struggling to sleep
• Exhaustion
• Low immunity or illness
• Sleeping a lot more
• Weight gain

Exercise is absolutely essential but if you’re training hard every day it’s simply impossible for your body to recover. So you need to ensure your training is periodised, both mentally and to give your body a break. You are more likely to enjoy it, stick to it and be able to push harder on those hard days!

How to organise your training regime?

My advice to ensure longevity with your training regime is to:

• Plan your workouts
• Log your progress
• Manage weight (but don’t obsess over it)
• Ensure a wide range of strength and cardio is in your regime
• Take rest when you feel exhausted

How to plan your diet?

Silly unrealistic diets seem to hit every social media platform this time of year. Mainly because us humans are impatient. We want a quick fix and it’s also a massive multibillion pound industry that works!

Instead of trying to cut those calories which in my opinion NEVER lasts, I recommend you focus on these things nutritionally:

• Protein intake
• Ensure carbs are in each meal (but be mindful of too many white refined carbs)
• Hydration – drink plenty
• Essential vitamin intake
• Try to have at least 5 fruit and veg daily – 7 ideally
• Limit sugary snacks
• Cut out fizzy, high sugar drinks
• Ensure that you aren’t starving yourself

By following these you will find longevity in your new year, ‘new you’ plan. No plan should be a quick fix that has an end date.

Remember fitness and health is for life.

Natalie Bhangal is a personal trainer who has a passion for health, fitness and strength training. She trains beginners, athletes, pregnant and postnatal women, those with injuries and injury prone clients. For more information email natalie@graftfitness.co.uk