Breathe a sigh of relief, because we've just passed the so-called ‘Blue Monday’, officially thought to be the most depressing day of the year, and when the majority of people officially give up on all those New Year’s Resolutions we set ourselves. The good news? It can only be up from here. The evenings are slowly getting a little lighter, you can almost imagine that Spring is around the corner, and if you're still on track with all those goals, you're doing really well. How can you make sure you continue to stick with your workouts now the worst is out of the way?
Set Realistic Goals
If you find you aren't making progress and it's really demotivating, then perhaps it could be time to reassess your goal and try to make sure you're being realistic. It's not that you can't set yourself stretch targets for your fitness but you need to ensure that you make realistic milestones that are within your reach. Over-ambitious goals is the cause of many a failure. Advantages of a personal trainer are that they can assess your current fitness levels and work with you to create manageable targets that will still allow you to challenge yourself.
Don't Take An All Or Nothing Approach
Life is rarely very black and white and yet we insist on trying to make our own behaviour fit that impossible dynamic. It's perfectly natural to have days where things don't go to plan - perhaps you couldn't sleep during the night so your plan for an early morning run goes to seed, or you wanted a week of clean eating but you got in late from work famished and ordered a pizza. The important thing isn't actually that you slipped up - it's that you don't let it become an excuse for continuing to get off track. Just make the next day a good one and balance will be restored.
Make It Part Of Your Daily Routine
Real change doesn't come from grand declarations - it comes from the small, seemingly unremarkable choices that we make on a daily basis. And that is down to making your workout a daily habit - it needs to become as much a part of your routine as brushing your teeth. If you become pressed for time, just make a substitution rather than skipping it completely. Keep a YouTube playlist of HIIT workouts so that you can squeeze in a quick fifteen-minute session even if you don't have time for the workout you planned. Small activities make a big difference when they are done consistently over time.
Celebrate Your Progress
Sometimes pegging away at something can get hard - and you'll naturally have days where you feel less motivated. That's when it becomes even more important to realise how far you've come. Make sure you monitor your progress - whether that's with testing how many press-ups you can do or keeping a log of the distance you can run with an app like Runkeeper. You could even keep an album on your phone where you store progress pictures to remind yourself how far you've come. And make sure that you celebrate your achievements as well - book a reviving massage or even treat yourself to a personal shopping session to show off your new figure!
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