Its a fresh start to a new year, a clean slate. Everyone starts off the year with great intentions and then usually that fire and desire wares off by February or March. Well lets not have that happen this year! Lets make 2016 our fittest year and keep the fire lit. These are 3 tips I thought of that have helped me make goals and keep them. We all have our ups and downs, our on days and off days, but the more you practice consistency with fitness, the easier it will become. If I were to add a 4th tip to this list it would be to not beat yourself up over a slip. Just because you interrupt a good streak with a treat, or whatever it is, does not mean you have fallen off the wagon! Just get back on course and carry on. Also, January isn't the only time we get a clean slate. Think of each month, the start of each week, or even a brand new day! We have a lot of opportunities for fresh starts throughout the year, don't just settle on one. Alright now here are my top 3 tips:
- Make your goals VISIBLE and MEANINGFUL! You will forget your goals by January 3rd if you can’t see them. Some suggestions for this are writing them down & taping them to your mirror or fridge where you see them often, write them in your phone as a reminder with an alarm, frame them in a plaque on your wall even! Whatever makes them visible to you often. And along with that, accompany each goal with a “why”. If you’ve worked with me before you’ve probably heard me say this, but goals with a meaningful “why” are usually the goals we accomplish. When we have a reason for doing it, a deeper reason than just looking good, than we find the drive to do it.
- Recruit back up: find a workout buddy, a trainer, or an online fit club (cough *Britt’s Fit Club* cough) that holds you accountable and inspires you. When you know someones waiting for you at the gym, or that you’re spouse is working on eating healthy with you, it seriously is so much easier! There is power in numbers, especially when it comes to fitness. We don’t like letting people down, so when our goals are connected to people or a community that we check in with, we are more likely to get it done! Even if back up is just a friend or significant other that you tell your goals to, that is a powerful thing! Just getting the goals outside our own head creates that sense of accountability.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew. When new years rolls around, so many of us think we have to set 10 goals in 10 different categories and if we fail than we should just throw in the towel for the year. This year try setting no more than 5 goals for yourself in January. Then check in on those goals each week, each month. As you check off the smaller goals you can set more goals as the year goes on. You’ll look back on 2016 and be amazed with how far you’ve come and what you’ve been able to accomplish!