So, your summer fitness goals this year kinda flopped. We’ve all been there.
It sucks, but it’s true. All of us have made promises to ourselves and swore up and down that we would start going to the gym, or start juicing, or even start attending yoga classes . . . And at some point or another, we’ve all fallen short of our glorious plans.
This year, as we head back into the groove of college, some of us are realizing that our summer fitness goals haven’t exactly been realized.
Somehow, as the tantalizingly hot months of summer have sped past, we’ve made it all the way to August before we even realized. And unfortunately, some of us haven’t been able to keep up with our fitness routines. The question is, what do we do in situations like that? In my experience there are three key tips to keep in mind after failing to keep up with your fitness goals:
1. Move Forwards, Not Backwards. You can’t turn back the clock. The most detrimental thing you can do for yourself at this point is focus on what you didn’t do over the summer. It’s like that feeling you get the first few times you break a new years resolution: you become discouraged, and that discouragement leads to less motivation and lower chances of performing in the future. It’s hard, especially in a society that’s obsessed with slim bodies and slender figures. We all know how easy it is to fall into the trap of berating yourself because you were not able to keep up your fitness routine over the summer. Don’t do that. If you want to do your mind and body a favor, hit the ground running this school year. Make new goals and new routines and new diet plans that can fit in with your new school schedule. Don’t waste valuable time beating yourself up over the weight that you didn’t lose in the past few months, instead focus that energy on re-invigorating yourself, re familiarizing yourself with your body and it’s needs, and preparing yourself to really freaking committing!
2. Love Your Freaking Body! The easiest and hardest thing in the world to do is loving your own body. But trust me, this is an integral part of moving forward after a fitness flop. Like the first tip mentioned, it’s a common thing to begin to feel dissatisfied and disheartened after not meeting your own personal goals. Nit-picking at yourself and focusing on those parts of your body that you are not comfortable with is unhealthy and ineffective. The best thing you can do for you is start from a mindset of self-love. When you begin to craft your fitness plans for the new school year, make sure your not approaching the matter from a mindset of what you need to change about your body. It should be about what options are the best to make your body as healthy and happy as possible.
3. Set A Schedule. There are shortcuts to everything in life but as your third grade teacher can attest, shortcuts are probably never the best route. When you’ve had a fitness flop or when you’ve majorly missed the mark on your body goals, it’s so easy to convince yourself that cutting corners is the next logical step. And in the fitness world there are plenty of ways to do that. Whether they be slim teas or body con corsets, there are ‘get-thin-quick’ schemes all over the place. They can, at first glance, appear to be the answer to all of your prayers but chances are they’re not. Starving yourself on a week long cleanse or water fast may shed pounds but it can be extremely psychologically and physically damaging, and the weight lost via methods like these is highly unsustainable, meaning it’s likely to be gained back once you begin to eat again (you know, like you need to in order to survive?)
No matter how promising they may appear these quick fixes often come with fallout that much outweighs their potential benefits.What you should really be doing is setting a reasonable schedule that works with your work or your study time. Focus on maintaining a healthy diet rich in fibrous and protein filled foods and set aside a hour or so to work out. If you really want to see lasting results quickly try incorporating some of these moves to your workout routine.
Reverse Crunches, help to quickly flatten the lower stomach and tone the mid-tummy area. Planks are a really good way to strengthen your whole core and Russian Twists work out your side obliques.
But at the end of the day it is about moving forward, scheduling those healthy habits, and loving yourself every step of the way.