Do you know how to stay motivated to get fit? Every year at New Years, tons of people make the commitment to improve their fitness. But honestly, many of them drop off before the end of even the first month! What can you do to make sure that doesn’t happen?
How To Stay Motivated To Get Fit
Here are 6 little tips to help you get where you’re going in your fitness goals.
Fitness Should Be Fun
Make your workout form something you enjoy. If you decide to workout in a way you dread, it’s pretty unlikely you’ll stick with it. But if you find something you really like to do, then you’ll look forward to it. Even if it’s something as simple as going for walk, it’s a step in the right direction.
Understand Your Goals
You also have to understand your goals. What do you really want? Make sure your goals are definable and reachable. Overly broad, general goals will make sure you never reach them. Check out my fitness program design primer article if you have a hard time defining your goals.
Get A Trainer Who’s On The Same Page
If you decide to work with a coach or trainer instead of going it alone, make sure he or she understands your goals. If a trainer is busy trying to push you toward the goals the trainer thinks you should have, then you’ll both just end up frustrated. The article linked above will help you make sure your trainer is programming for your goals.
Start Small
Don’t jump off the deep end straight into hardcore fitness. For example, you want to run a marathon. Don’t go buy a new pair of running shoes tomorrow and start pounding out miles. Instead start slow. Go for a walk a few times a week. Then in a few weeks start adding in a little running for a minute here and there during your walk. Eventually, you’ll spend the whole time running. You’ll minimize your injury risk this way while still making regular improvement.
Fitness Doesn’t Have To Be Miserable
The notion of “no pain, no gain” has become quite mainstream. But if your goal is simply health, fitness doesn’t have to suck. In fact, in most cases fitness shouldn’t suck. See tip number 1 in case you forgot. You can get in great shape without taking every single rep to max effort and every single set to failure. A workout doesn’t have to render you an invalid the rest of the day for you to see progress.
This Is Actually A Lifestyle Change
As you become more focused on your fitness goals, you’ll realize that getting into better shape isn’t a 6-week commitment. It’s really a lifestyle change. Sure you can see benefits over a few weeks, but you’ll lose them almost as fast as you gained them if you stop. You can’t store fitness. It requires regular attention.
That’s why the previous tips are so important. If you use the first 5 tips to develop a real fitness habit, then this tip will just take care of itself. But it’s still important to understand that being healthy and fit is an active choice. Now you know how to stay motivated to get fit!
