It takes more than “liking” and sharing fitness inspired post on Facebook and Instagram to go through with fitness inspired goals. There is no doubt that life gets in the way, and we sometimes put our fitness journey on the back burner or on hold. The good thing is it doesn’t matter when you start or how long it takes, what matters is that you start your journey. Even if you consider yourself a beginner in the workout world, I know once you set a goal for yourself and reach it, the rewards go far beyond weight loss or muscle growth. Can we say hello self-confidence booster!!
If you’re looking for success when setting new fitness goals, start with these ideas for getting—and staying—inspired. When it comes to following through with resolutions, the more specific, the better.
1. Educate Yourself
With anything new that you’re about to encounter it’s important to not go into it blind. One of the biggest reason for achieving and staying motivated with fitness goals is to continue to be inspired; the internet is the perfect resource for this. Dig deeper than hash tags, find fitness programs specifically geared toward women. Two of my favorites are: TONE IT UP! And The Super Sisters! Both are run and created by women for women— TONE IT UP! Was created by two incredible best friends (Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott) and The Super Sisters by sisters (Liz and Sara Germain) provide nutrition plans, recipes and workout routines!
2. Turn Online Inspiration into Real-Life Workouts
We’ve all seen those 15-30 second Instagram workout videos by “Instagram famous” fitness experts; don’t let these be a source of discouragement. Turn these videos into at home real-life workout ideas. It takes putting your goals into action to see results. Find a workout buddy or join a class which can become a support system: you don’t have to go through your fitness journey alone. (side note— I heard Orange Theory Fitness is preeetty nice!)
3. Prepare for Defeat
Have you ever heard the saying nothing in life worth having comes easy? There will be days when you want a slice of pizza instead of steamed broccoli, or sometimes when you decide that you are too tired to move a muscle to get ready for a workout, or some days that you JUST CAN’T EVEN. We all feel that way, sometimes even I do! But something my fitness instructors say all the time really stays with me: When you feel like you’re ready to give up, push yourself for an additional two minutes and see what happens. During your fitness journey you may encounter hurdles—not roadblocks, do not let these discourage you or stop you from following through.
4. Cut junk food from your daily regimen
Abs are made in the kitchen; you can work out all you want but you’ll never see the result you desire if you don’t put in the effort to eat clean. There is no denying that junk food cravings are powerful. But you can steer clear of processed food by eating as many healthy, whole foods as possible, and the less junk food you eat, the less you want. It takes 21 days to build a habit, and after this taking a trip to the supermarket and walking past the junk food aisle will be something that you should be proud of. Own it!!
5. Little progress is still progress
As a society we have become so accustomed to doing things and looking for the fastest way to do them. I mean of course, how could we not when Amazon has free same day shipping for Prime Members on select items? But crushing your fitness goals takes time, dedication and of course commitment to seeing your journey through not only to the end, but with hopes that after you’ve achieved your goals that you set for yourself, watch it turn into a lifestyle rather than a journey.
In the end you can have all the inspiration you need but without dedication and commitment consider your goals as mere ideas waiting to be put to use. The best advice that I can give you is to want it for you and no one else. Wake up every day saying that today is going to be another day that “YOU” crush one of your fitness goals. Take your journey one day at time, one step at a time and believe in yourself and I promise the possibilities to the things you can achieve will become endless.