At some point everyone faces setbacks on the road to fitness. While it is easy to beat yourself up about missing a workout or hitting a weight loss plateau, it is important to keep moving forward. To get back on track, use these tips that will help you forget that you ever experienced a setback.
Revisit Your Goals
Start by taking a second look at your goals to make sure you didn’t set standards too high and overwhelm yourself. You can eventually hit your goals if you break loftier goals into smaller ones that give you a sense of achievement. If you have recently experienced an injury or new health condition, then it is important to alter your goals to fit your current level of physical health.
Practice Visualization
Once you have your goals set, it is time to start thinking about the future. Professional athletes utilize visualization techniques to hone their focus before competitions and you can use this same method to increase your motivation. Whether you are looking to finish a marathon or need to master that complicated gymnastics routine, spend a few minutes each day visualizing what you want to happen.
Go Public With Your Intentions
Having goals is important and sharing them with others helps to keep you accountable. Let your coach or best friend know what you are attempting to accomplish. Alternatively, you can create a social media post or start a blog detailing your journey. Whatever method you choose, make sure to keep the people involved updated, and invite them to ask you about your achievements along the way.
Think About the Non-Physical Benefits
People often get frustrated when they don’t feel like they are seeing the effects of their workouts on their body. Instead of getting stuck ruminating on a scale that won’t move or your inability to lift that certain amount of weight, try to see that each workout builds your stamina along with improving your mental health. That elevated mood you get after a strenuous workout is just as important as looking amazing in your swimsuit.
Change It Up
Boredom is a big reason for fitness setbacks, and losing motivation means that it is time to change up your routine. As you plan for changes, try to come up with ideas that are completely different for your normal routine but that will increase your skills. For example, a football kicker might take dance lessons to fine tune their kicking skills while still enjoying a cardio workout. Alternatively, a swimmer might go for a long run to increase their stamina. Just doing something out of your normal routine will kick start a positive attitude making your regular workouts more interesting.
Establish a Reward System
While it might be tempting to go out for a luxurious restaurant meal after winning that marathon, it is important to stick to healthy rewards. Giving yourself little markers for your achievements helps improve your motivation while reinforcing positive behaviors. Consider giving yourself something fun like a stadium blanket with your favorite team’s logo, or you could get some new gear such as running shoes. Either way, rewarding yourself sends signals to your brain that will keep you wanting to achieve even more.
Get Inspired
Remembering why you care about fitness is as simple as watching others who also pursue a healthy lifestyle. Take a break from your regular workouts, and go watch a professional or high school sports team in your field of expertise. From catching a football game to enjoying a gymnastics competition, watching others playing at their peak performance will help you renew your determination to hit your fitness goals.
Make It Social
It’s possible that you have been focusing too much on your workouts and not enough on how much fun physical fitness is when you add some friends. Get your friends or teammates together and head to the park for a game of soccer. Alternatively, you could schedule a weekly jog with a friend. Even walking with another group of moms as a stroller group turns a mundane workout into an uplifting experience, and having someone depending upon you to show up helps keep you accountable.
Set a Schedule
Changes in your routine are another common reason for setbacks that are easily correctable. Getting sick, having a baby or starting a new job are all potential hindrances to your normal workout schedule, and it is possible that you just need to change it up. Think about what happened before you got off track, and see where changing your workout schedule might help. For example, you may just need to get up an hour earlier in the morning instead of doing your jog at night. Once you set your schedule keep in mind that flexibility is still important. On days when you can’t stick to your routine, have a backup plan such as breaking your workouts up into smaller chunks so that they are more manageable.
Talk to any professional athlete, and they will tell you that setbacks happen to everyone. The important thing is to not let it deter you from accomplishing your goals. While you can’t take back the time that you have lost, you can take control over the future by implementing these strategies for getting back on track. By renewing your focus and adjusting your workout routine as needed, you will be able to accomplish every one of your fitness goals.
