With the start of the new year, many of us have health and fitness goals that we want to accomplish. Getting started on your health and fitness journey can be very exciting, and you may notice that you feel very focused and determined this year to finally achieve your goals. But what happens when you notice that you start to get off track? This can leave you feeling upset and defeated, but there is hope to help keep you on track. Here are four tips to help you stay fit, healthy and active year round.
Mindset Shift
To stay fit, healthy and active year round, it absolutely starts with a mindset shift. You have to be willing to think differently in order to achieve new results. Your old mindset was not giving you what you wanted and requires you to have a new way of thinking. You also have to become very self-aware and self-determined by realizing that you really want to make changes to improve your health and that you are willing to put in the work in order to get the results that you want. You have to develop a “no excuses” mindset to help you push through on the days that you want to give up! So when you hear the voice inside your head that tells you to take a day off, quickly remind yourself of your goals, tell yourself that you can do it and get after it. Positive self-talk will be the ultimate gamechanger to help you stay focused on achieving your goals.
Behavior Changes
Like the saying goes, “If you want something you’ve never had, then you have to do something that you have never done.” You have to evaluate your life and recognize the behaviors that you need to change. Your behaviors are your lifestyle habits and your daily routine. It’s what you do every day from waking up in the morning to going to bed at night. Start to notice what you do throughout the day and what you can change. Do you need to go to bed earlier so you can wake up earlier? Do you plan your meals or eat whatever you want? Do you smoke and drink alcohol daily or occasionally? It’s important to develop new self-discipline habits to help you stay on track to achieving your health and fitness goals.
Practical Steps
There are practical steps to take in order to stay fit, healthy and active year round. First, plan and prepare your meals. This will help you stay focused with eating healthy. Write out a menu for the week for breakfast, lunch and dinner and then go grocery shopping according to that list, so that you have all of the healthy foods at home ready to eat. Second, decide what days you will exercise and whether you will go to the gym or exercise from home. Also, pick out your workout clothes the night before so you are ready to go the next day. Third, get an accountability partner. Having a friend or health coach on this journey with you will help hold you accountable for eating healthy, exercising and will encourage you during the times that it feels hard.
Make it Your Lifestyle
If you are serious about achieving your health and fitness goals, then you have to make it your lifestyle. It has to become a part of your normal daily routine. It has to become a part of who you are. Just like it’s normal to brush your teeth every day, it should become normal to eat healthy and exercise daily to weekly. Eating healthy and exercising is not just a short-term goal; it should become what you do all of the time. It’s not just to lose 50 pounds, then quit. It’s to lose the 50-plus pounds and then maintain what you have achieved to prevent yourself from reverting back to your old ways. It’s not just a 90-day challenge; it’s a new permanent lifestyle change. You should get to the point where you feel more confident in yourself and you feel motivated to keep your results. The new healthy fit you will have to learn how to maintain your health and fitness results. Your health is your most valuable asset. You got this, you can do this! Get after it, and stay after it.