How to Actually Achieve Your Fitness Goals
/Fitness Goals
Are you guilty of countless abandoned fitness goals? If you are, you’re most definitely having issues with your approach towards the said goal(s). Don’t beat yourself up over this. After all, motivation is difficult to hang onto as time goes by. But if you really think it’s time you did something about your fitness level, self-confidence and overall health, you have to change your ways and act! Keep on reading if you want to learn some tips and tricks about reaching your fitness goals – finally.
Setting the date is sometimes more important than setting the goal
Of course, you have your usual fitness goals you’re trying to achieve. But even if there’s nothing too specific, it doesn’t have to deter you from your journey and motivation. What can do that, however, especially if you’re not exercising yet, is the lack of a starting date. Other than the goals, it’s paramount that you set the exact time when you’re going to start working towards the realization of your goal. And that’s not all. You don’t just need a specific time for the first time you’re going to work out. You need to come up with an actual schedule on a week-to-week basis! Knowing exactly when you have the time to exercise and that you’ve got the designated slot on a specific day for it will be a lot more effective than getting into this with no clue when your next workout is going to be.
Switch things up a little, boredom happens to the best of us
It’s not easy for motivation to win the fight against boredom, especially if boredom is getting stronger every day. Routine is helpful but too much routine is the wrong answer sometimes. In order to get the best fitness results, you should always strive to switch things up a little. This means that you don’t have to stick to the exact same exercise routine all the time. That’s not even recommended! The combination of strength training and cardio is the best, and it gives you endless possibilities to experiment with different activities, workouts and equipment. That way, you won’t find your “routine” overwhelmingly boring.
Watch out what and how you eat
Most people fail their fitness goals because they actually try to starve themselves or change their diet too drastically too suddenly. But you won’t get where you want to be by feeling hungry and frustrated, or vitamin-depleted! A balanced diet is a must! Eat everything (unless there’s something you’re allergic to) but in smaller portions and more often. What’s more, do your best to eat at the same time every day because that will boost your metabolism considerably. In case your main issue is the lack of time to prepare something healthy and filling, you can have your top fitness meals delivered directly to your door these days thanks to the rising popularity of this kind of service. Or you could try to meal plan and prep once a week (Sunday perhaps) for the whole following week.
Remember, you need to feel good!
In order for your relentless work towards specific fitness goals to work, you need to enjoy yourself. It’s OK to have rewards and it’s perfectly fine to find something that relaxes you. That said, you can get the best of both world with effective sports massages. Also, don’t miss your chance to visit a sauna and maybe even go out to a restaurant every other weekend to enjoy your favorite meal. It’s true that you should constantly work in order to change yourself and your lifestyle, but that has to become your “default” while the “cheat” (previous default) times should become rather special and rare. This is why you need to make every step of the way enjoyable by utilizing everything available!
Remember to always surround yourself with motivation – for you, this could be fun music, supportive friends, positive affirmations, inspirational quotes, all of those, something completely different, etc. Whatever it is that makes you all jumpy and willing to work on changing your life and reaching your fitness goals, embrace it and keep it close!
Peter is a health writer at Essential Men's Clinic blog. Follow Peter on Twitter for more tips.