In January you set New Year resolutions or make plans. Monday is a new diet day. THIS month is the month. It’s easy to get motivated about things in the short term but longer term you might soon find that the novelty wears off and your enthusiastic promise to yourself to stay true to your health and fitness goals start to waver. If you want to stay motivated all year keep reading…
Use a Pen and Piece of Paper
Write it down. Commit your pledge to paper and then form a plan. Use the SMART system of goal-setting to help you split that mammoth task of losing weight, running a personal best, lifting a certain weight or being a certain size down into manageable chunks and set yourself deadlines.
Now write them in your diary, pin them to your fridge or wherever you will see them and be reminded of them. This is a long-term plan to help you reap long term benefits so start off as you mean to go on.
Measure Your Success
When you are at A and Z seems a very long way off it can be useful to measure your success as you go so that you can see what you’ve achieved, even if to start with this seems like baby steps. Baby steps are better than no steps at all and seeing yourself slowing moving onto your next mini-goal is a great motivator.
Don’t Reach for the Moon
That doesn’t sound very motivational, does it? Rather than to try and stifle your enthusiasm I want you to be realistic about what you want and when you are likely to achieve it. If you think you are going to lose three stone and be able to work your way around the gym like a pro in six weeks when you’ve not worked out for years you will be setting yourself up for failure.
Make your goals manageable and they will always be within your grasp.
Organise Something Special
Some people reach their goals quicker than others and it can be disheartening if you aren’t moving as fast as you’d like. What you need to do is stop for a minute and consider the fact that you are moving, you are moving towards a new, healthier and happier you! Celebrate your successes (you deserve it), by deciding on rewards for meeting the goals you’ve set throughout the year. When there’s something special on the horizon you are more likely to keep pushing on towards it.
Let Others Help You
Unless you are really clued up about fitness and how to get where you want to be, working out and achieving goals can be daunting at best and really difficult at worse. Asking for help is not you failing to go it alone, quite the opposite! Asking for support from those who can help you succeed should be celebrated as by asking you are confirming once again that you are determined to get the job done. Ask a friend, ask at the gym and if you’re serious about your goals consider a personal trainer.
In Summary
How do you stay motivated throughout the year when you are someone (like many other people) who flounder after the first few weeks and months? You plan! Plan to ask for help, plan to set goals and to write them down, remember to write a list of things you would love to treat yourself to when you reach goals and make sure you follow through!
Plan to succeed long term and you will.