Let 2022 be the year you prioritise yourself & your health.
After the last few years we have had, let 2022 be the year you prioritise yourself and your health.
Here are some key tips for setting yourself up for success when you get started (or restart) your health and fitness journey.
Goal Setting
Starting a new health or fitness routine without a goal is like travelling without a map - you might get there eventually but it’s easy to get lost along the way.
Take some time and think about what you want to achieve on your journey.
Do you want to lose weight? Gain weight? Gain muscle? Tone up? Maybe you just want to increase your general fitness and not be out of breath as much?
Once you know where you want to be, it’s time to start thinking about how you want to get there.
Start Small
If you're somebody who has struggled on their health and fitness journey in the past, developing a plan and setting small & achievable goals will be vital to maintaining your motivation and confidence.
For example, if your goal is to increase your fitness level and you're planning to do this by going on a 45-minute walk every day in the morning before work, then maybe your very first goal should be waking up early and going for a short 10-minute walk at least once that first week.
You may be thinking, "But that is such a small goal?"
For many who are starting on their journey, even this goal would be tricky. But when you achieve it, you'll feel accomplished and motivated to do better and to continue on this journey.
You can then set more difficult goals for yourself - two 15-minute walks, three 20-minute walks and so on. You may be inspired to add another type of activity into your routine. As you keep hitting more and more difficult milestones, your end goal will look a lot closer and more attainable every day.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how small these goals are to begin with, they just need to be something truly achievable for you and your circumstances.
Measurable
Measuring your goal progress is extremely important, but figuring out how to measure your progress accurately will depend on your health & fitness goal.
If you’re looking to lose weight, then a set of digital bathroom scales may help - but if you’re looking to add muscle or tone your body, a set of bathroom scales won’t give you all the information you need to track your progress.
Body composition monitors measure not only your weight but can also accurately measure your body fat percentage, muscle mass & quality, bone mass and even your total body water percentage.
You can further track your progress from your smartphone with many apps available - how easy is that?
Consistency vs Intensity
Most people think that getting results is about going as hard as you can all the time, but the truth is, consistency is far more important than intensity.
It can be exciting starting a new fitness routine or challenge, but that excitement fades quickly if you injure yourself straight away and need weeks to recover.
Staying consistent - even if that means lowering the intensity - is more beneficial in the long run: it reduces the risk of injury (especially if you haven’t exercised in a while) and allows you to settle into a routine that works best for you.
Preparation
It cannot be overstated just how important preparation is for reaching your goals. When it comes to starting a new fitness routine or health habit, we tend to look for excuses not to go out and exercise and do something easier instead.
Making sure you’re prepared ahead of time means reducing as much friction as possible, and removing excuses before they pop up. If your gym bag is already packed the night before, you can’t use the excuse of “I didn’t have time to pack it this morning”.
If you’ve prepared your healthy meals ahead of time, you won’t feel the need to grab something unhealthy from the nearest food court.
Practice doesn’t make perfect - preparation does!
Accountability
It’s easy to fall back into your regular habits unless you have a strong level of accountability built in for yourself. This is super important, especially in the first few weeks when your routine might start to slip or you feel like giving up entirely. There are a few ways to do this:
Set alarms & reminders
Tell family and friends
Share your progress on social media
Get connected with like-minded people in your community
It’s not about avoiding embarrassment if you fail, it’s about building a support system around you to keep you going. It's time to start your new health & fitness journey.
Now that you’ve set your goals it’s time to start working on them! Good luck with your beginning - I have many more articles to keep you going on my blog, or you can follow Discipline Fitness on social media to stay motivated with our tips and guides.
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