5 Tips to Crush Your Fitness Goals
Year after year, January 1st hits and millions of people set resolutions, goals, and intentions. They may include finances, relationships, personal achievements, or the top one, health and fitness. It is important that we define why we want to accomplish these goals because commonly they will fall off track 3-4 months down the road and the struggle to get back on track can be difficult. Below are some small ways to help stay motivated.
1. AIM SMALL
This is something that I tend to get a lot of push back about. People will say, “But shouldn’t I aim high?” Yes, of course, you want to aim high, but narrowing your scope is going to allow you to be much more successful and feel more accomplished. This is key to staying on course. The biggest problem that I see when people aim too high is that they lose sight of the smaller, simpler, discipline-based actions that must take place to reach the larger goal. Try taking a 10-minute walk every day instead of trying to lose 50lbs this year.
2. GET A COACH OR A PROGRAM
I might say that this is one of the most important decisions that you will make, but also one of the hardest. Which trainer should I choose? All of the trainers at my gym look so intimidating. I don’t want to end up looking super muscular. Okay, I get it, but they know the human body. They know what exercises are going to help get you the results that you are seeking. You don’t need to see them every day, but using your coach as a resource and for guidance is going to play a vital role in your success.
Another more cost-effective way to go about doing this is by finding a great workout plan. Yes, I know there are many workout plans being sold on social media and you never really know what you are going to get from them. A tip on choosing a program is to seek out a strength-based program. (Again, I know not everyone's goal is to become super strong, but it should be.) At the end of the day the stronger we are, the more efficient we will become. Strength is going to translate into, but not limited to, fat loss, muscle gain, increased mobility, cardiovascular health, and just overall health. I PROMISE YOU WILL NOT BECOME SUPER BULKY.
3. IT STARTS WITH FOOD
This is a tough one for most. No matter what your goal is, it starts with food. Food is our fuel no matter what. I had a coach in college tell me '“you are a Ferrari, not a Honda Civic. So I want you eating like a Ferrari.” What he meant by this was to eat good clean food so that my body would burn clean and not have to spend the extra energy on the crappy food. We put so much time into working out and what workout clothes we want to wear to the gym but then forget about one of the most important factors in being successful. Back to the car reference, it is like having a Ferrari in the garage but no gas, so it will just sit under the cover. If you are going to expect a lot out of your body, you better put feed it.
4. FOCUS ON PROGRESSION, NOT PERFECTION
We will never be perfect. No matter what your goals are, you will have more setbacks than achievements. Is that hard to hear? Definitely. It stings a whole lot! It’s okay to miss a day here and there. It’s okay if you take a week off when you are on vacation. It’s okay to enjoy family time. We are so prone to attack ourselves when we miss a day of working out or overindulge at dinner. But what happened yesterday or last week does not travel with you. Regroup and restart. Don’t focus on what you weren’t perfect at, focus on the progress that you have made no matter how small!
5. HELP SOMEONE ELSE
Safty then teamwork makes the dream work! Too often people think that they don’t have time to help anyone else, but in reality, that is what we are built to do. Find someone that has similar goals or even someone that is looking to accomplish what you have already done or vice-versa. This could be someone that you meet in the gym every Tuesday to work out with, someone that you text/email when there is something that you’re struggling with or simply something that you want to celebrate with. It is important to be able to share these things with someone that is on your team! Helping someone else helps keep you accountable to your goals so you can accomplish them together. While you conquer your goals you are also helping someone else exceed theirs!
** I want to reiterate that these are not the only ways to be successful, but they are ideas to help keep you on track and to move forward one day at a time. Stay focused and keep crushing your goals. We are almost one month into the new year!