One of the biggest obstacles when it comes to getting fitter, healthier and losing weight is YOU!
Whether you realise it or not, self -sabotage is one of the main reasons people don’t reach their goals.
It might sound like a strange statement, but think about it;
• Do you talk yourself out of going to training?
• Did you ‘forget’ your gym bag again, and now you can’t train?
• Do you convince yourself that you are far too busy to train?
• Do you tell yourself that healthy food is ‘far too expensive’?
• Do you tell yourself that you ‘wouldn’t like anything on the diet plan anyways’, even though you haven’t read it yet.
• Did you just admit that you don’t feel like going to the gym tonight because Netflix and a glass of wine is a more appealing substitute?
If any of these scenarios sounds like you, you are not alone.
But if you were to ask the same people what their goals and desires were, what they would tell you wouldn’t be possible with their current actions.
The top 10 health and fitness goals that most people make are to;
1. Lose weight
2. Get organised
3. Save more money
4. Enjoy life
5. Staying fit and healthy
6. Learn something new
7. Quit smoking
8. Help others
9. Find love
10. Spend more time with their family
So why is it that we can’t seem to stay on track with our goals?
Most of the time it is because we have more than one.
How many of the list above do you recognise as yours?
If you have more than one, chances are that you won’t achieve any of them.
If your goal is to finally lose weight this year, make that your only goal.
You have to give it all of your attention.
If you have ever tried to set weight loss goals, you will know how difficult it is.
Having a conflicting goal that you are trying to achieve at the same time will take away your focus from what you really want; weight loss.
If you really want to lose weight, and by really, I mean if you REALLY want to finally lose those unwanted pounds, I am going to give you some tips that will help you to skip the excuses and stay focused with your good intentions.
1. Always have your gym bag with you.
Now, I am not saying that you have to walk around with a backpack on, like you are going hiking, but having your gym bag in your car or at your office will mean that you have no excuse when it is time to go training.
Just remember to take it home in-between days and wash your training gear!
2. Have a training partner and keep each other accountable.
Having a training partner makes starting training much easier.
It is always daunting starting in a new gym or in a new fitness class.
The best thing about having a training partner is motivation, you are less likely to skip a session if you have to be accountable to someone.
3. Go to a fitness class or group training session.
There are 2 things that are sure to make people give up on training.
Lack of structure and lack of motivation.
If you have never been to a gym before, starting out with no idea of what you are doing and with no structured program to help you train properly, is asking for failure.
A fitness class is a great way to train with a group of likeminded people.
There should be a structured session each time you are there and you will get a bit of progression on a week to week basis.
You have the added benefit of getting to know the instructor and having them keep you motivated and accountable for your goals.
4. Try different training methods.
Trying a few different types of exercise when starting out is a simple way to keep you interested.
You will get to try new things and find something that you actually enjoy and might stick to long term.
5. Don’t give up at the 1st hurdle.
If there is one thing that you should know when starting out with exercise, it is this;
- You won’t always enjoy your exercise sessions!
- This is sometimes the biggest downfall of new gym goers.
- You will be sore sometimes.
- There will be exercises you won’t be particularly good at.
- You may not be as fit as others in the class or gym.
- You may feel confused at times.
This is to be expected. We were all there at one stage or another. Just know that the more you go, the easier these things get and the more your body changes, the more motivating it will be to keep going.
If you stop the first time it gets difficult, or the first time you are sore, it will always be difficult and you will always be sore, because every time you try to start back, it will be like your first time all over again.
Just keep going and it WILL get easier
This is just a small list of things that can keep you on track with your exercise, if you need any more help, just ask.
#leanin2018