You’ve been working hard and it’s finally paying off – you’re ready to welcome bikini season with open arms! But just because you’ve reached your fitness goals does not mean it’s time to start going back to old habits.
When it comes to health and fitness, one the biggest struggles for most people is racing towards a finish line instead of continuing to move forward and progress.
Here are 10 things you can do to make your new changes into a lifestyle!
1. Set Achievable Goals
Having goals like doing your first triathlon or losing 20 lbs are great long-term goals. But it’s important to have small, achievable goals that you can accomplish on a daily basis. Things like drinking enough water every day, getting at least 8 hours of sleep, or simply making it to the gym 5 days a week.
Write a list of things you’d like to accomplish in the short-term AND long-term.
2. Make a Plan
Just like you make plans for the weekend or for business meetings, make plans for your health and fitness. Use a mobile or traditional planner to plan your workouts and meals. This will help you stay organized.
Getting a personal trainer is also a great way to keep yourself accountable and keep progressing.
3. Track your Progress
This does not mean simply keeping track of the number on the scale. This means pushing yourself in all aspects of your health and fitness.
Keep track of how many reps you can do in the weight room, how long you can hold a plank, or how many miles you can run, and see how much you’ve improved over time.
4. Keep a Log
This goes along the same lines as tracking your progress. Keep a log of what you’re eating, what workouts you’re doing, and how you feel each day.
You will start to see a correlation between your mood and fitness/eating your habits. Not feeling so hot? Maybe it’s because you haven’t hit the gym in a few days or been eating poorly. Notice the things you do and eat the days that you feel great – and do more of that!
5. Try New Things
It’s human nature to become “blah” with things that bore us – we get comfortable and we lose motivation.
Have you heard of the workout plateau? This is when you’re working out and eating well, but not seeing the results you did in the beginning. So what gives? Your body is made to adjust and conform. So your results will probably plateau if you are doing the same workouts and eating the same foods on a daily basis.
Always be adding new workouts and healthy recipes into your routine. This will keep things exciting and fresh, and your body will begin to change because you keep pushing it to new limits.
Remember, insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. Change it up and get better results!
6. Stay Inspired
We all have different reasons and motivations for doing the things that we do. Find whatever motivates you to keep striving to achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle. This could be a friend, family member, or simply reading inspirational quotes and stories.
Find whatever works best for you to keep moving forward and avoid burnout!
7. Tell Friends and Family
If your friends and family are on board it makes changing your lifestyle a lot easier. They can keep you accountable for sticking to your fitness routine and healthy eating habits.
It may also inspire others to start living a healthier life, bonus!
8. See Food Differently
We all know how it goes – you eat well for months, you lose the weight, and then you go back to eating the burger, fries, and donuts diet. This goes back to the long-term/short-term goals we talked about earlier. Look at eating healthy as a long-term goal, a LIFE goal.
The easiest way to continue to eat healthy and properly nourish your body is looking at food as fuel, not an indulgence or coping mechanism. Think of your body as a car; you do not want to put cheap or the wrong kind of fuel in your car or it won’t run properly, and may even break-down completely. The same goes for your body. Fuel it with the foods that will keep you energetic, healthy, and running smoothly!
Can you have a piece of cake on your anniversary or have a drink at the next holiday party? Absolutely. But if you’re stressed at work, do not turn to the box of Oreos as your cure. This will do more harm than good. Take it out on the gym, go for a walk, or grab a healthy snack instead. Remember, food is fuel!
9. Indulge Once and Awhile
Saying you are never going to eat ice cream or pizza again is not very realistic. And let’s face it; if you put these restrictions on yourself, the one time you do indulge you are going to feel extremely defeated.
Give yourself the right to indulge from time-to-time. Remember, one healthy meal won’t make you fit and one cheat meal won’t make you unhealthy.
10. Fall in Love With Yourself
Part of making this all a lifestyle is understanding your worth. If you believe that you are worth living a long and healthy life, you are more likely to actively seek that lifestyle.
Participate in positive self talk, keep your stress levels in check, and try to stay grounded.
Get Started! Tell us about your goals!