With every new year comes a new set of fitness goals we set for ourselves. It’s a great means of motivation but it can often be hard to stick to. Life gets in the way, and we get distracted and delay those goals till the next week, month, or year. If we keep pushing these fitness goals back and back we’ll never get there. From gyms across Sydney to your favorite fitness studio Melbourne-wide, we’ve put together some easy tips and tricks to keep motivated this time around.
One thing to remember is to be kind to yourself. Humans make mistakes and sometimes listening to your body and resting is more important than smashing out a workout. Find the balance between knowing when to push yourself and when to be kind and slow down. One of the easiest ways to maximize a goal and give yourself the best shot at achieving it is by making sure it’s realistic. Too many people go too big too soon, setting themselves up for failure.
Once your initial goal is set and you’re ready to get moving, it’s time for the physical habits. These are our favorite things to practice when our eyes are on a prize:
Put Pen to Paper
Make your goal feel real by actually making a note of it. Write it down in your diary, your journal, your mirror, anywhere! According to research, you are 42% more likely to achieve your targets, if you write them on a regular basis. Also before going into achieving your goals you can write down all the necessary things you need: exercise mat, hockey stick tape, grips, etc. Write your end goal and track your progress with regular updates too. When you feel motivation slipping you can look back at what you’ve written and physically track your progress.
Celebrate the Small Milestones
With a big overarching goal in mind, it’s still important to celebrate the smaller milestones along the way.
This gives you a regular sense of achievement to keep you motivated and chipping away at your bigger goals. A goal that is too far in the future might feel impossible at the beginning. However, when you break it down into a series of smaller milestones, it will not only feel easier but become easier. Instead of asking yourself about a 20 kg weight loss in 4 or 5 months, how about setting up for 1 or 2 kg after every week or fortnight. Doing this would keep you motivated and more likely to achieve a bigger goal without any distractions.
Don’t Go it Alone
If you’re struggling to hold yourself accountable enlist the help of someone else! You’re way more likely to motivate someone else and vice versa. Get a friend, family member, or gym buddy to hold you accountable for your goals. Having someone to work out with also adds a social element to it. This means it’ll feel far less like a chore and far more like catching up with a friend! Celebrate your goals together and help each other get there together. Following the same logic, enlisting the help of a personal trainer or attending group training sessions are another great way to stay motivated.
