Why is it that so many people give up so easily? I was exercising in the gym last evening during my 2 hour and 15 minute legs/triceps/abs workout, and I noticed that the gym was not crowded. In reflection, I recalled just how busy the gym was at the beginning of the year. Yet, at the halfway point of 2011, the number of people working out at the gym on a Thursday evening had diminished. This is unfortunate, and this is a sad observation to make. I want everybody to live a healthy lifestyle and reach their goals. Have you kept up your progress towards your fitness goals? As we all should know by now, fitness is a lifelong endeavor; it’s a lifestyle and not a hobby, and the results do not show up overnight. Attaining these fitness goals take time, effort, dedication, attention to detail, and hard work!
Alexander The Great was quoted to have said the following:
“There is nothing impossible to him who will try.”
Try! And try again! But, we all need to maintain that motivation and drive in order to get to the finish line. So, here are five straight-forward tips to get you back on track:
- Set Measurable Goals: Do not just say that you want to lose weight or grow muscle; be specific and be able to measure your progress! For example, one of my goals for this year was to leg press 1,600lbs (which is measurable) instead of just wanting to get my legs a little stronger!
- Set Reachable Goals: If you are bench pressing 150lbs today, it might not be wise to set a goal of 300lbs by the end of the calendar year. Sure, 300lbs on the bench press might be a solid long-term goal, but you need something real for the short-term!
- Build Milestones: Reaching your goal might take you six months to achieve, or it might take you a few years, so you need milestones along the journey in order to be able to measure your progress (see tip #1). I would love to bench press 350lbs, but that is 100lbs greater than my maximum, so I should place a few milestones along the way to keep me on track.
- Reward & Reinforce: When you reach a milestone, reward yourself; reinforcement of your achievements is a great motivational tool! There’s nothing wrong with allowing yourself to spurge once in a while; maybe, you want to buy an outfit when you lose 10lbs or a new pair of shoes.
- Set a Manageable and Fun Routine: Consistency is the key, and your body is extremely smart, so take a few minutes or an hour to plan out how you are going to achieve those awesome goals that you have set. Make sure that the routine is realistic; scheduling 2 hours in the gym every evening might not be realistic for most. Lastly, make it fun so you will be motivated to stick with it and to give it your very best!
You cannot achieve your fitness goals by quitting, and we all are going to go through a few slumps. We’re all in it together, and we can achieve whatever we set our minds to; we just have to hang in there and keep giving it our best effort!
