8 Ways To (Finally) Commit To Your Health
When you are motivated, you are driven and more determined to strive toward the health and fitness goals you set for yourself. You don’t suddenly believe that everything is easy, but you know that you are prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal, regardless of the challenges that it poses.
Often, people lack the motivation to get started or lose their motivation to keep going. Fortunately, it is something you can work to increase. Consider the following eight strategies for (finally) committing yourself to your health and fitness goals.
#1 Write it down
Such a simple step but so often missed. By writing down your goal, you’re taking responsibility for it and telling your sub-conscience mind that you’re serious. It’s no longer just an idea, thought, or wish. It’s written down and, it’s real.
#2 Announce it (to the correct few)
An integral part of achieving goals is having a solid support network. It’s easier to stick with a fitness or weight loss plan when you have encouragement and can share/receive advice on healthy nutrition and exercise. Whether working with a Personal Trainer, a gym partner or a supportive spouse, we know that surrounding yourself with a positive network will help to spur you on, increasing long-term success.
#3 Have a deadline
Have a deadline for when you will have successfully reached the desired level of fitness or loss of weight. In step #2, when you announce it, also announce your deadline. By doing so, you’re creating an incredible amount of accountability for yourself and leaving less space for ‘sitting around’. A goal without a timeline is just a dream, so have a deadline and commit to it. Take it seriously. Perhaps even schedule a trip or event near or around your deadline. Make it real, make it essential, make it count.
#4 Have a diet/eating approach or workout regime that’s realistic and sustainable.
There is no one-glove fits all approach to getting ‘into shape’ or good health and maintaining it. Despite some bold marketing campaigns in the health and fitness industry, for most people, fitness and weight management takes commitment. Real transformation requires a deliberate, persistent effort to create a lifestyle individualised to you and your circumstances.
#5 Have fewer specific health goals
If you have too many goals, you will probably dilute your energy between all these goals and achieve none of them.
#6 Think long term
For most people, it’s not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even months if you want long-term success. These habits must become a way of life. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your patterns and daily routine.
After assessing your challenges, try working out a strategy to gradually change your habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. In most cases, you have to move beyond simply recognising your challenges. You have to plan how you’ll deal with them if you’re going to succeed in losing fat, toning up or preparing for a 1/2 marathon for example.
You are likely to have an occasional setback. Instead of giving up entirely after a setback, simply start the next day afresh. Remember that you’re planning to change long term. It is unlikely to happen all at once. Try to stick to your healthy lifestyle, and the results will be worth it.
#7 Be grateful for your progress so far
We may set a goal and plan some action; then, at some point, we are likely not to do the activity for some reason. Guilt can then set in because we didn’t do what we wanted to do. This causes negative emotions. Subconsciously and even on a conscious level, you will lose confidence that you can achieve the goals you set (no matter what the plan is). This is the basis for procrastination and lack of progress. We just don’t have the confidence that we can make it.
Who wants to feel bad all the time? Nobody. This is where gratitude comes in. If you create a daily habit just for a few minutes to express gratitude for the progress you have achieved so far, you will gain tremendous confidence. The trick is potent because you can’t be grateful and feel negative emotions simultaneously. After you do this, you will see two things will happen:
1. You will start to see progress with your goals;
2. You will want to set and achieve more objectives because it feels great, and you start building more confidence.
#8 Start with your goals now
No matter how much you read about goal setting and how wonderfully helpful it is, your goals won’t happen by alone. When you start to take action, you will find out that maybe some objectives were not for you, update them. If you do not have a list of goals, create one now. It may not be perfect, but it’s your first draft. Don’t worry about making it all perfect.
All that matters is to start. So, do yourself a favour…. start now.
