Sounds crazy, right? How does decluttering have anything to do with achieving your fitness goals? You’d be surprised!
Decluttering is one of the most important mini habits that can completely transform your mindset and help you reach your goals. If you think about it, clutter can really affect your decisions and the ease in which you prepare for and achieve your fitness.
More specifically, decluttering your gear and your pantry can make the biggest impact on your fitness goals! Decluttering your gear eliminates excuses, such as “I can’t find my good running shoes” or “I can’t ride my bike today because I don’t have time to fill up my tires”. There’s no wasted time looking around for what you need. The same goes for your pantry! You don’t have to search for the healthy options if they’re the only ones that are there!
Whenever I declutter for fitness, I usually start with my essential gear, work my way down to my smaller gear, and then do a complete overhaul on my pantry. I’ve learned that doing these three things significantly increase my motivation to get out, get moving, and stay healthy!
Essential Gear
I always start the decluttering process with my bigger, essential gear including: shoes, bikes, helmets, climbing ropes, etc. This is the gear that is absolutely necessary for my workout.
Start by asking yourself, Can I use this? More often than not, we find ourselves having too many items and too many choices, which can turn into a time waster. For example, if you are a runner and you enjoy running on both trails and the roads, find one pair of shoes for each type of terrain. Only keep shoes that you will use, and discard or donate the rest. Then, when you’re getting ready for your next run, you know exactly which shoes you will be using, eliminating that extra time searching for and deciding on what to wear.
If you are a cyclist, you may want to look over your bike, shoes, helmet, etc. Ask yourself, Are the tires in good shape? Does anything need to be fixed? Do I really need five different helmets? I could talk about cycling all day, but really just with any fitness activity that you enjoy, make sure that you don’t have any extra supplies that are unused, out of commission, or need some repair.
Having your big gear ready to go and easy to find will destroy any last minute excuse to not get out there and reach your goals!
Small Gear
Next, I look at my smaller gear. Now, these are the items that you don’t necessarily need, but they make a huge difference in your motivation! Things in this category include: GPS/running watches, water bottles, sunglasses, workout clothes, etc.
Same with my big gear, I look these items over and ask, Can I use this? Do I need this? Does this need to be fixed?
Always have a specific spot for your items, and always make sure they are charged and ready to go! With things such as water bottles, you might even want to splurge on one that you absolutely love. Having a designated workout water bottle always clean and ready to go will eliminate so many excuses (and help the environment)!
And don’t forget about your workout clothes! Go through, find what fits, works, and is comfortable, and donate the rest!
Food
The last trip on your decluttering journey should be to your pantry! You know the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind”? Yeah, well, this doesn’t apply to me when it comes to food. If I have any junk food in my house, I will find it!
It’s simple. When I’m decluttering my pantry, I have two piles: It’s healthy and I love it and GET IT OUT! Worried about waste? Don’t be! There are so many different charities and food banks that will take your unopened items. There are even some that will consider taking them even if they are opened! By getting rid of the foods that are stifling your progress, you are helping yourself and helping others! Who doesn’t want a win-win?
So, is decluttering one of the secrets to a fitter, happier you? You bet! It’ll help you be more focused on your goals and eliminate those subtle, yet harmful distractions! If you’d like to hear more about gear and decluttering, be sure to give Episode 2 a listen on the Fit is Freedom Podcast! As a bonus, check the show notes for a decluttering worksheet! Happy decluttering!