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How to Find a Fitness Plan You Can Stick With
Maybe you want to lose weight. Or, maybe you want to add a couple of inches to your chest. However, it doesn’t matter what your fitness goal is, reaching it is a challenge. You need to do more than just make a New Year’s resolution to get fit. Achieving your objective takes time, dedication and motivation. Everyone starts with enthusiasm, but after a few months, ambitious goals tend to fade away. So how can you stay on track? It’s not easy, but it is definitely doable. Here are a few tips to help you stay focused.
Have a Specific Goal
It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t have a specific goal in mind when creating a fitness plan. Ask yourself what the purpose of the fitness plan is. Do you want to lose a certain amount of weight? Are you looking to build mass? Maybe you’re training for a marathon. Whatever the case, having a specific goal in mind can make it much easier to create a fitness plan because you know exactly what you want to achieve.
Focus on the Small Stuff
When you’re starting from zero, the end goal might seem almost impossible, especially if that’s all you focus on. Instead, set up short-term goals you can reach and track. You can set it up on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. These small goals can help keep you going because they’re easy to achieve while still being challenging.
Track Your Progress
Keep a fitness journal or use a workout app to record your progress. Not only is this a great way to see how much you’ve improved, but it’s also a great way to stick to your plan. This way you can track your fitness streak. The longer the streak, the more likely you are to keep going. It’s an excellent way to stay accountable and allows you to chart your progress.
Make it a Habit
For your fitness plan to work, you need to create a routine and stick to it. This means you need to take a good look at your schedule and your own behavior to find the best options for you. If you’re not a morning person, forcing yourself to get up at 6 a.m. to go to the gym won’t last very long. Or maybe you don’t even like going to the gym. If that’s the case, there’s no way you’ll pick up a gym habit.
Luckily, there are plenty of different ways to get in a good workout. Don’t want to leave your house? There are dozens of great fitness channels on YouTube that you can watch wherever you are, even with restricted access, to help you prepare for your next workout. If you aren’t a big fan of exercise for the sake of exercising, pick up hiking or maybe even join a casual sports league.
Find a Workout Buddy
Tired of going to the gym solo? Then bring a friend. Not only does it make the session more fun, but it also holds you accountable. After all, you’re far more likely to work out when you’re forced to schedule ahead of time. Plus, canceling means inconveniencing your friend, so that’s an added impetus to go to the gym. Besides this, a good friend also offers encouragement to push just a little harder.
If you can’t find someone to join you at the gym, you can also join an online community. While they won’t be able to help you in-person, they can provide great advice on different exercises and even a dose of competition.
Visualize Success
Visualization isn’t just some New Age mambo jumbo. It’s a method that forces you to focus on what’s important in your life. Every day, try to imagine how you will look and feel 20 or even 30 years down the road based on your current fitness plan. Do you like what you see? If not, visualize how you want to be at an older age. Most people want to remain healthy and active as they age, and an effective way to do so is to keep up with a fitness plan. You can even use this method for the short term. Rather than telling yourself you’ll try to do eight reps, tell yourself you will do eight reps.
Have Fun
At first, following a fitness plan can feel like a chore. However, it’s all in the way you view it. For many, the few hours a week at the gym allows them to forget about their problems and worries and to focus on themselves. Others use it as a way to change their outlook on the day. However you approach it, the best way to stay on track is to make sure you have fun. This might mean listening to your favorite music while at the gym, reading a book on the treadmill or watching a TV show. Use this time to enjoy yourself.
Sticking to your fitness plan might seem difficult, but if you set aside some time to set reasonable goals and find ways to make it enjoyable, you’ll wonder why you ever thought it was so hard in the first place.
About the Author:
Cassie is a freelance author and health enthusiast. Fitness has become a regular part of her life, but this was not always the case. As a result, she enjoys sharing what she has learned, along with her nursing knowledge, to help others stay fit and healthy.
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