Laying the Groundwork for Fitness Success

Real lifestyle change isn’t all or nothing, about success or failure, or winning the short sprint. It’s about creating a better and healthier version of yourself one day at a time.

Start with being really honest with yourself.

Start With Honesty

Start with being really honest with yourself. Where does fitness fall on your list of priorities? Are you committed to becoming more fit and creating a healthier you? This comes down to how much you want to get healthier, stronger, and feel better. If you stick to your guns, work though any distractions, and know that fitness is a top-level priority for you, then you’re off to a great start. If you’re uncertain about where fitness fits on your priority list, then discuss this challenge with friends and family. Often the people who love and support you will have encouraging input to help your fitness goals become a higher priority.

Eliminate Excuses

Many people who struggle to find success with fitness are full of excuses about why they can’t exercise or haven’t been successful in the past. Let’s skip the negative self-talk and instead think about how today is a glorious new day to be active! When excuses begin to creep in, try to bring your focus to what you need today when it comes to exercise. If you expand your concerns to tomorrow, or the rest of the week, or month, those concerns can be overwhelming. Focus on exercise right now and that way you’ll eliminate any excuses that get in your way. You can do it!

Simplify The Process

I suggest you begin the new year with the firm intention of exercising every single day! By focusing on daily exercise, you take some of the complication and uncertainty away. There’s no longer the question of when you will exercise, or if you will. If you get up everyday knowing that you have to exercise, it becomes automatic, like brushing your teeth or eating breakfast. As long as you are physically healthy enough to move, “Just Do It,” as the Nike slogan says.

Keep Track Of Your Success

A calendar can be a wonderful tool for both encouragement and reflection. I would encourage you to use a calendar or some type of written log to keep track of your daily exercise success. You can simply write down the number of minutes you walked or number of miles you rode your bike. Place this somewhere such as on the refrigerator or on the bathroom mirror, so you can easily see your dedication and the time you spend. These frequent visuals reminding you of how well you’re doing can go a long way to reinforce your commitment to exercise on a daily basis.

Learn From Yesterday – But Don’t Let It Determine Today

How successful or unsuccessful you were yesterday and the days before often have an influence on your success today. I recommend minimizing the power of yesterday and only using it as a learning tool. Give yourself a pat on the back when you know you exercised yesterday, and if you didn’t, look into why not. Neither outcome from yesterday should shape today! Make today the best day possible and create your fittest self one day at a time!

How will you improve your fitness goals?