10 Ways To Stay Motivated To Reach Your Fitness Goals
There’s a common theme we face with fitness: We start off strong, are proud of the initial work we’re noticing in our bodies and ourselves, begin to plateau, then one missed class becomes 2, 3, 4… and then we begin to question if we should continue to pursue our goals at all.
Believe me, we’ve all been there. It’s easier to get started, but much harder to stay on track for the long haul. Just consider the high rate of people who make “lose 10 pounds,” “join a gym,” “work out x number of times a week” as a New Years resolution and don’t make it to February.
Maybe you’ve been this person, maybe you feel that way now. The great thing is that today is a new day and you can set and re-set goals right now.
Consider us a resource; your friend; your personal cheerleader; your confidant; the hidden voice that is shouting “Keep on going!”.
This is a guide to help you when you’re facing the slump. Or, better yet, when you’re going strong and want to make sure that your determination only continues to build.
We’d love to hear from you! What are tips and tricks that you use to ensure you’re staying motivated? Let us know!
10 ways to stay on track for fitness success
1. Switch it Up:
When your body hits a plateau, it can often indicate that you’re becoming accustomed to your workout. Not that this is a negative, (consistency is great!) but it’s great to switch up your routine sometimes and train different parts of your body and muscle groups. Keep your muscles guessing! For example, try the Dance Fitness class one day, yoga the next, and then the Personal Fitness Group another.
2. Keep your goals ahead fresh and ready:
Be mindful of what your goal was at the beginning of this journey— health, weight loss, strength, community. Whatever it is for you, keep that on the ready to reach back to when you feel slower or less motivated. Maybe even write it down and keep it in a place where you can see often. Use this goal as reinforcement to stay positive and on track.
3. Schedule your exercise:
If you’re a busy person, chances are you use some type of calendaring system: your phone, computer, maybe even a calendar on your wall. Make routine exercise as important as showing up for a doctor’s appointment. Truth is, this is you being your own health system. Writing your exercise time down (especially if it’s for a scheduled class) and having it in a visual place will help you stay accountable.
4. Rely on others:
Some of the most common feedback from our Bootique’ers to keep them motivated and in action is the strong support and accountability system from fellow “teammates”. Find some friends in one of the classes, attend some of the meet up groups and luncheons (join us on Facebook for details) and help keep each other pushing each other. Be part of the system— encourage others who you see often in class and kindly say something to them if they’re MIA.
5. Celebrate small successes:
We love to envision reaching the big goals we have initially set out to meet— lose “x” amount of pounds, have toned arms, butt, or legs, etc. Keep in mind: long-term goals can take a long time to see and feel. But, in order to reach the BIG goals, you have to take small steps first. If your goal is to lose 20 pounds, celebrate the 5 pound increments. When you can make every step along the way part of your greater success, you will feel celebrated and excited about continuing the process.
6. Be kind:
Pushing ourselves to reach our goals is great, but you must be kind and loving to yourself first. Understand your limits— both physically and emotionally to ensure your success. If you push and push and push and your body is not wanting to participate, this can be a major hurdle in your goals. Easy consistency that lasts is much better than hard bursts that are not sustainable.
7. Find the fun:
If you come to one of Boutique’s Dance Fitness classes, you’ll most likely notice the smiles on people’s faces. From the instructors to the people who know the moves or are there for the first time, something we are all aiming for is the smile, laugh and enjoy the moment. Celebrate showing up and make exercise fun. No one wants to take on another chore in life.
8. Check-in:
More than just being aware of and celebrating goals, check in with yourself. Are you enjoying your routine? Are the times working for you? Try something new sometimes. If you’re feeling motivated, great! If not, question why or talk to a friend in your support team who may be able to offer some suggestions to switch things up.
9. Accept, let go of and move on from excuses:
It’s easy to dream up 1,001 excuses of why you don’t want to exercise on a Saturday: you want to sleep in, you had too much wine the night before, there are 10 other things you should be doing instead… Accept that you are finding ways to get out of your exercise routine, but if you actually can get to a class, or out the door for some cardio, do— you’ll feel much better for the rest of your day and you’ll be training your body that this too is part of your routine.
10. Recognize that “staying fit and active” is a lifestyle choice:
Choose health and fitness. Be loving to yourself in giving time for your body to work out some of its stresses, stagnation and fears and celebrate that you are healthy, able and willing to choose something that is positive for your lifestyle— now and for the future.
Whatever the reason, we’re glad you’re with us and would love to know what keeps you motivated!
