With just 12 weeks until the summer holiday season, Preston personal trainer and co-founder of Pro-Fit, Matt Dewhurst, has revealed that just three simple habits could be the key to feeling more confident and energised this summer.

“Many people will have started 2023 with great intentions to stick to new a health and fitness regime yet without the right support and mindset it can be easy to revert back to old ways. It’s probably not surprising therefore that around 80% of all new year’s resolutions fail.

“Now as we hurtle towards the end of the first half of 2023 it’s time to take a new approach. It’s no secret that making changes to your lifestyle can be overwhelming which is why consistency is absolutely crucial. My advice – make a small number of changes and do them consistently and you will see results.

“It’s all about habits. Habits – whether good or bad – are so powerful to how we feel physically and mentally. They say it takes 66 days to form a habit so changes you stick to now will be ingrained into your lifestyle come summer – and you may be surprised with both the physical and mental results.”

If you do anything for the next 12 weeks – try these three habits and make sure you stick to them!

Habit one – increase your steps every single day

“If you can do just one thing every day until the summer holidays it should be moving more. Set a step target and challenge yourself to beat it every single day. Go for a walk, park at the back of the supermarket carpark, play football with your kids, ditch the car a mile away from work.

“You may not realise it but this activity – also known as Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT – accounts for much more daily energy expenditure than exercise. 10,000 steps can burn between 300 and 400 calories – that’s more than a 30 minute run. So put simply, if the only thing you do in the next 12 weeks is up your NEAT then you will see a benefit.

“You don’t need an expensive fitness watch to do it – a simple pedometer will track your steps and give you a good indication of your daily movement and by how much you should be upping it to meet your target.”

Habit two – prioritise protein

“Step away from the fad diets and quick fixes. Protein is one of the most important macronutrients for weight loss so make a habit of prioritising it with every single meal. As a guide you should aim to eat around 20g of protein with every meal and aim for a total protein intake of 25 per cent of your calories.

“A high protein diet can help to boost your metabolism, reduce your appetite and mean that you eat fewer calories – because you are left feeling full.

“Get into the habit of planning your meals – start with the protein source and build the rest around it. Do this every single day – not just Monday to Friday. So many clients who come to me struggling with their weight have great habits during the week but undo all of their good work at the weekend. Remember – making changes is all about consistency. 

Habit three – incorporate strength training into your fitness regime 

“So many people who are looking to lose weight and get fit instinctively think that they need to be sweating it out doing cardio every single day. Whilst things like running and HIIT are great for cardiovascular health, strength training will help you build muscle which burns more calories at rest than other tissues, including fat. 

“Strength training has lots of benefits. It can improve your posture and protect your joints from injury. As we get older strength training becomes even more important for our health and wellness – helping to maintain muscle mass, improve mobility, and keep you active for longer. And because it is low resistance it is the perfect starting point if you haven’t trained for a while.

“There are many misconceptions about strength training. Many people may feel intimidated by the weights section at the gym, think that they have to invest in a lot of equipment or are worried that they may get too bulky – but this really isn’t the case. Coupled with the above habits, just 2-3 dedicated strength training sessions a week will help you start to see results.

“Anyone new to training can start with some simple bodyweight moves like, like lunges, squats and push ups, that don’t need any equipment at all. Or why not join a gym, such as Pro–Fit which offers a friendly and welcoming environment with focused training sessions in small groups, meaning you have hands-on support to help you every step of the way.”

Pro-Fit’s 28 Day Challenge has been helping hundreds of people across Preston lose weight, gain muscle and increase their confidence. With a community feel, hands-on support from a team of dedicated personal trainers, nutrition advice and many more member benefits – sign up now to secure your place and feel great in time for summer. Visit the Pro-Fit website.

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines