How many times have you started pursuing a fitness goal and ended up throwing in the towel? Yeah, we’ve all been there! Imagine what your life would look like if you could finally achieve the goal you’ve been dreaming about.
Let’s make this one STICK! Often people become overwhelmed and quit when they jump in too quickly, don’t create a realistic workout schedule, try to do it alone, or accidentally skip a day. Whichever reason might have pushed you to give up last time, re-commit and achieve your goal once and for all with these five simple tips.
MAKE IT REALISTIC
When defining your fitness goal, make it attainable. Instead of worrying about getting enough sleep, drinking tons of water, working out AND eating well all at the same time, focus on achieving and perfecting a specific goal before worrying about conquering others. When you plan to immediately go all in and work out 7 days a week, you are likely setting yourself up for burnout and failure. Instead, focus on completing your preferred workout activity three times a week and add on from there.
SCHEDULE YOUR FITNESS
To have a clear outline of how you plan to achieve your fitness goal, I encourage you to create a two-week schedule. Focus on writing out the first week in pen and the second in pencil. It’s difficult to plan for activities that unexpectedly pop-up throughout the week. Plan your workout schedule in advance and tweak accordingly! Make a commitment to yourself that you will show up for your scheduled workouts no matter what.
PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE
I suggest pre-packing your gear and laying out your workout clothes every night before going to bed. This will allow you to simply wake up, roll out of bed, throw on your clothes, pick up your bag, and get to it. Searching for these items in the morning will likely make you feel unmotivated and provide you with the opportunity to create excuses for not following through.
FIND A BUDDY
Accountability is key when crushing your goals! Find someone who is interested in improving their life through fitness and enjoys similar workout activities. Share your goal and workout schedule with them. Commit to checking in on one another often to evaluate each other’s progress. When you begin talking yourself out of a workout, remember the commitment you made to this person and push even harder to complete your workout. If you don’t have a buddy in mind, get involved in the Fit Is Freedom online community. Although you might not find someone located in your area, you can encourage and be motivated by your virtual buddy via text or phone call.
PREPARE TO FAIL & START AGAIN
Acknowledge that setbacks happen! You may have a little too much fun with friends one night and skip your run the next morning. You might catch a cold and end up spending the entire day sick in bed. Instead of giving up entirely on your goal because you missed a workout, accept the “fail” and start again. Never let a little bump in the road derail you from achieving your goal to live a more healthy and active lifestyle.
Are you ready to achieve your goal once and for all? Consider these five simple tips to make your fitness goal STICK! For more tips on how to achieve your sticky goal, tune into Episode 16 of the Fit Is Freedom podcast.