Did you know that only 8 percent of people stick to their new year’s fitness goals, according to a University of Scranton study?
Experts believe there are a variety of factors to blame for those dismal success rates, including not setting clear goals, not having deadlines, and lack of consistent action.
In this article, we’ll discuss a few tips that will set you up for success and help you set goals that you’ll achieve.
We’ll discuss what to consider when setting your fitness objectives, how to enjoy the process, why your “downfalls” don’t have to derail you, and more.
Let’s get into it.
Define the what and the why
Often when we set goals, we only define the what.
So, we might set a goal of losing a certain amount of weight, or gaining X-pounds of muscle mass, or running a 5K at a specific pace.
But what we fail to do is to really think deeply about why we want to achieve those results. Without adequate clarity on why we want to get stronger, it becomes easier to skip the gym and hit the snooze button on a cold, snowy morning.
You should definitely set specific goals. Whether that’s losing weight, getting stronger, or packing on muscle.
But along with it, define the reason that you want to achieve your goal. How will your life be better when you do reach your target?
Are you going to have more energy throughout the day if you lose weight? Does getting stronger mean that you’ll improve your performance in a sport you love to play? Will packing on extra muscle improve your appearance and increase your confidence?
Try to associate your fitness goals with your border life goals, like feeling happy, being loved, creating more connections, or whatever they might be for you.
Do what you love
Another reason why we give up on our goals is that we often create an uphill battle for ourselves.
If you absolutely hate going to the gym, then it is unlikely that you’ll remain consistent with your fitness goals that require gym time.
Instead, look for other ways to achieve similar results. Maybe you like exercising outdoors, or at home.
Or perhaps you hate running, but your plan to lose weight is to run 10 miles each week. Again, you’re more likely to quit, especially on days when you’re too busy or just don’t feel like making the effort (and those days will definitely happen).
Instead of running, think of what other ways can you burn a similar amount of calories and improve your metabolic conditioning? Do you enjoy swimming? How about HIIT workouts?
The point being, that you should take some time to analyze what type of exercises and environments you prefer, and create your weekly workout plans accordingly.
Maybe you prefer a gym with high-energy music to stay pumped. Or maybe you like connecting with nature during a hike on the trail.
But also make sure your workout plan is balanced, and you're incorporating strength, metabolic conditioning, and mobility into your plan.
Just because you don’t enjoy running doesn’t mean you should never run. But it shouldn’t be a primary component in your plan.
Take your “downfalls” into account
To achieve success, your plans have to be sustainable in the long-term. And that means it needs balance.
No matter how dedicated you are, eating nothing but chicken, salmon, tofu, and broccoli will eventually get to be quite boring.
And then we tend to go back to binge eating pizzas and chocolate chip cookies. One bad habit trend leads to another, and next thing you know you’re skipping your workout and your plans are derailed.
The good news is that you don’t actually need to give up your favorite foods. Plan a couple of meals each week when you allow yourself to eat what you want, without any thought of calories or ingredients.
It's something you can look forward to, and you can even treat it as a reward to yourself for your hard work and discipline.
And there might be times when you do end up on a short binge of unhealthy foods. Maybe you’re too busy or stressed.
Remember that it’s not the end of the world, and it doesn’t mean you won’t reach your goals. Just slowly start adding back the positive habits into your routine, and you’ll find that pretty soon you’re back on track.
Accountability partners
One powerful tool to help you stay on track is an accountability partner. It would ideally be somebody else who is also working towards similar goals as you, but not a necessity.
You would periodically check-in with this person to report your progress. The simple fact that you know that someone else is also following your journey will make you more likely to stick to your goals.
You don’t want your spouse, friend, or coworker to think of you as someone who doesn't stick to their commitments. That extra incentive can be all the motivation you need on days when you might have otherwise given up.
If you want to take it one step further, you can commit to a friend that you’ll donate to a charity of their choice if you don’t reach a specific milestone each week.
For example, if you commit to running 10 miles a week, for each mile you fall short, you donate ten bucks to a charity your friend picks.
The right fuel
Finally, there’s pre-workout supplements when you need the extra energy to get through a grueling workout.
On days when you’re not feeling like you’re up to the task, you might be tempted to skip a workout. You may tell yourself that you’ll work extra hard the next day to make up for it.
But as you already know, consistency is the key to success.
And if you know that you can rely on a clean pre-workout supplement to get you pumped up with more energy, strength and power at the gym, you’ll never have to miss a workout because you’re feeling sluggish.
Our premium pre-workout has been formulated with only pure, Non-GMO ingredients that give you that extra edge so you can maximize your performance at the gym. For more in-depth info, you can check out our article on the benefits of pre-workouts.
