There are many factors that will contribute to your success on your health journey. There is no one foolproof plan. Life happens and obstacles will present themselves. But there are ways to set goals, and reach them, all while enjoying the journey to a healthier you!
Establish a goal. Do you want to get stronger? Are you ready to reach your goal weight? Do you need to improve your health at the recommendation of a physician? Whatever the goal may be, identify it loudly! What could I mean by that? Let me explain! Often we set personal goals, keeping them to ourselves. We cheer ourselves on when we reach milestones and we quietly weep when we feel we have failed. The confidentiality we keep limits our accountability and the lack of support sets the stage for failure. Fitness is one area where you don’t have to do it alone!
Find an online group that is centered around your set goal. You will be surrounded by people who are like minded! Introduce yourself, start conversations. Not only will you learn a lot, but there is also some degree of accountability there. Allow people to support you.
Encourage yourself! Write yourself love notes. Plaster your bathroom mirror with affirmations. Design a playlist of songs you love and that also set you on fire! Play it recklessly! Create a vision board that you can refer to daily, helping you stay focused on your goal. Include articles, pictures, poetry! You have full creative design, use your imagination! Set yourself a workout schedule. Routine and consistency are key factors in reaching your goals. These are appointments you have made with yourself that should not be canceled outside of true emergencies or illness.
Last but not least, tell your tribe! Our friends and family are our biggest supporters. Share your goals with the ones you love. You never know who you may be inspiring by sharing your story.
With your goal now in mind, you’ll need to outline how you will reach it. Read! We are fortunate to live in a society where we have access to limitless information. Find reliable, well known sources and dive in. Research programs that are proven and mature. Read up on and watch videos on timeless exercises that have earned their place in many standard workouts because they work!
Perhaps a personal trainer is something that interests you. Again, you’ll need to do your research, but there is someone for everyone! Prepare a list of qualities you would like to see in a trainer, any questions you may have, and set up some interviews! And while there are a couple of things that should be a must, such as proper training and certification, this is a personal choice and solely up to you. Create your workouts prior to arriving at the gym. You will go in knowing exactly what you will be working on and what you will leave having accomplished. A new gym routine always comes with a side of nerves. You are at the beginning of a new experience and there are many unknowns. Your workout should not be one of them.
Now, you have your goal specified and a plan created to reach said goal. This is getting exciting! It’s time to put motion to all you have done and learned so far. Let’s workout! How is my success measured? While creating and achieving a goal is personal, the way we can measure if one has had success can, be broken down into something very simple. If you have reached your goal and have been able to maintain it for a year, you have succeeded. Does that mean if you have not reached your goal and maintained it that you have failed? Absolutely not. It simply means that you need to keep going!
And I hope when you do reach that goal, that you celebrate! You showed up on days when the world told you to stay home. You fought battles to get here, and you won. You are someone else’s inspiration. Continue to be that bold and beautiful light on your journey while lighting the path for another. We are proud of you!