How to get back on track if you’ve abandoned your fitness goals
AT the start of each year many people are hyped up about New Year’s fitness goals, and often get off to a pretty good start. But fast-forward to month number four or five, and for some of us that journey is at a complete standstill. Can you possibly recover, or should you accept that the train has derailed, and move on?
Gisel Harrow, personal trainer and fitness instructor at Express Fitness, Liguanea, says that you shouldn’t give up that easily. In fact, she said falling off track is completely natural, but you just have to be determined to get back in the game.
“Setting goals and keeping them takes a lot of hard work, discipline and perseverance to actually accomplish them. Especially in fitness — you tend to fall off track easily. I can totally attest to that. [First] it’s one day, then you are out by a week or a month, and before you know it you end up derailing all the hard work you’ve put in,” Harrow said, noting her own personal failure.
The remedy to getting back in the game, according to Harrow, is just starting again — no plans, no new goals — just get going.
So:
Start now
“Don’t put a date to it, just get moving, go for a run and sign up at the gym or for a class. Start where you are and keep going at it,” Harrow advised.
Take it one day at a time
There is absolutely no rush at all. So don’t start thinking about where you should have been on your fitness journey, or the point reached by other people who you started out with, unless you are going to use it as motivation. Instead, Harrow said that you should get back into the routine and take the time that you need to get familiar with your routine again.
Set small goals
“Don’t go for the big goals that you had set at the start of the year,” Harrow warned. You have to be careful when you start again, especially if your inability to get the desired result was one of the reasons you stopped in the first place. Instead, Harrow suggests setting small, attainable goals.
Do things that you like
You can do any number of things that will make exercise fun or more appealing, from making a playlist of songs you love that encourage exercise, to getting new gym clothes and shoes, or finding friends or groups with similar interests to keep yourself motivated.
Get an accountable partner
Whether you are going to ask one of the people who you train with, a family member, or a fitness trainer, sometimes we can all do with someone who will make sure that we are staying true to our commitments. Knowing you are accountable to someone can significantly boost your motivation to exercise.
Go back to the reason you started in the first place
Motivation to continue on your journey can also be found in the reason that you wanted to exercise in the first place. So whether it was just to keep fit, lose weight, to get those abs, a flat belly or the perfect butt, the oomph that you need is locked in being reminded of this. This, Harrow notes, can significantly impact a person’s desire to follow through with accomplishing his/her goals.
