At the start of the every year, countless people flock to the gym, filled with fitness ambitions. 

Yet it’s difficult for many people to make lasting changes to their wellness routine – and as quickly as they start, they may fall off their resolutions in the new year. 

Fitness experts told DailyMail.com their best tips for how to make science-backed changes to your exercise regimen that will last beyond just the month of January. 

The physical therapist and sports medicine doctor highlighted the importance of taking small steps towards your goals and making sure you have a positive mind and environment. 

Dr Milica McDowell, a physical therapist and Vice President at Gait Happens told this website: ‘In order to be successful sticking with a new fitness regime there are three key science-backed strategies to ensure you will be still on your program [once] the New Year’s resolutions wear off.’

To start, Dr Michael Ormsbee, a exercise scientist at Florida State University, who authored the book Changing Body Composition Through Diet and Exercise, recommends four concrete steps to make a lasting change. 

It begins, he said, with an honest assessment of how much you personally can handle. It’s best to start small and build gradually. 

This includes making seemingly minuscule changes, like adding in a 10-minute daily walk or two strength training sessions per week.  

He said: ‘Small steps reduce overwhelm and create habits that last.’ 

Next, Dr Ormsbee said as you get into the groove with your plan, it’s important to focus on your performance, not just your body weight. 

Focusing on the ease with which you are able to begin lifting heavier and heavier weights, for example, is more productive than fixating on numbers on a scale. 

Other metrics you can include in your plan include mile times or making sure to complete a certain number of workouts weekly. 

He said: ‘Performance-based goals build confidence and motivation while shifting focus away from the scale.’

For his third tip, Dr Ormsbee recommends looking to your environment. If you’ve been tackling your routine alone in the past, you might consider joining an online group, attending group fitness classes or signing up for a gym. 

Surrounding yourself with supportive people who are equally motivated can help keep you accountable, he said. This will ensure you hang onto your routine for longer. 

Finally, Dr Ormsbee recommends focusing on strength over all else. This doesn’t have to mean you’re joining the power lifters or the body builders. 

Resistance training also includes things like bodyweight squats, balance exercises like planks and using resistance bands. He said including two or three of these sessions a week can help increase muscle and speed up metabolism, in turn fueling your energy to stay fit. 

McDowell recommended keeping track of fitness goals through a digital tracker or some other tool. This can help ease stress of remembering your routine and can allow you track your progress with data 

To conclude, he said: ‘Consistency, accountability, and self-responsibility are key—commit to showing up for yourself and focusing on progress, not perfection.’

Dr Ormsbee’s tips mirror some of the advice McDowell highlighted. The orthopedic physical therapist has a three-pronged approach. 

It begins with data. She recommends using a tracker, be it a digital device or journal, to catalogue and organize your fitness routine. 

Keeping track of your plan can help you to feel more organized and clear headed about a goal, which makes you more likely to stick with it. 

Also, she said ‘There are numerous research studies that say simply using a digital device to record your workout, can enhance your excitement to do the next workout as well as your adherence to the program.’

In order to accomplish this, you can use the tracking apps built into your smart phone, you can build out a fitness planner on paper or you can invest in tech built specifically for the purpose, like a Garmin smart watch.  

Both McDowell and Dr Ormsbee recommended paying attention to factors that affect your motivation and mental wellbeing. Having a solid mental foundation makes it easier to stay consistent with physical goals

Next, McDowell said it’s important to ‘be mindful about your workouts.’

This includes focusing on how your workout benefits your body as your doing it, and how your body is working well. 

Appreciating what your body is able to do, even in the early days of your fitness journey when you may feel weak, is important in staying motivated. 

‘This might sound a little bit “woo,” but it’s not. There are several scientific researchers focusing on this area, which is an exciting area to promote on the days that you are not feeling super motivated.’ 

This includes a 2023 study from the University of Bath. It reviewed 35 older studies and found incorporating both mindfulness and a fitness regimen improved overall wellbeing better than practicing either thing alone.  

Finally, McDowell recommends doing your best to be motivated by exercise as something that is good for you, not as a means to an end.  

She said people who are motivated by a desire to take care of themselves, instead of for external validation – such as losing weight to fit more stereotypical, but unrealistic, beauty standards – are more likely to stick with fitness or wellness goals. 

This was demonstrated in a 2018 study from Oxford, which found survey participants who had higher levels of self-motivation were more likely to have a consistent workout routine. 

McDowell said: ‘It’s great to post on social media to receive encouragement and feedback but if you are doing it for outside reasons it’s going to be tougher to stick to the program.’