“Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organised their energies around a goal.”
Elbert Hubbard.
I hear a lot of people saying they struggle to stay motivated to either exercise, consistently eat healthily, and resist temptations. How do you stay motivated?
First set smart goals. Be it Health, Lifestyle, Physique or career related. Visualise whatever it is you want to achieve, the end goal, and create an action plan.
It needs to be:
Specific. Mine was to be “photo shoot ready” – I.e confident to have photos taken, to feel lean but strong, and to be able to create a routine that I could enjoy and feel happy doing each day.
Measurable. To drop to a particular body fat %, to see changes in the before and after photos, and to improve my mood and general health. Keeping a diary is helpful.
Attainable & action orientated. I know where I’ve got to before, and I knew that starting again at a foundation training level/phase 1, with small adjustments to diet and gradually building over 12 weeks, was right for me. This was agreed with my coach. This was important for me as I often rely on reassurance from others (not always a great thing but in this case it helped drive me) it’s always good to keep checking in with a coach or someone who’s been through a similar journey or transformation.
Realistic. It needs to be rewarding, results orientated and relevant. Also within available resources, knowledge and time. Challenge yourself but be aware of what is realistic. If you have time constraints e.g. work long hours, have a family to look after, work out how much time can be allocated and come up with a suitable action plan.
Time-scale. Photo shoot date was my end goal which was a 16 week program. I’ve said to so many people that agreeing to do the shoot was my main motivator in resisting temptations or going off track along the way, I’m competitive so once I’ve got something in my head & can visualise it and want it badly enough that’s enough to motivate me. “Want” is an important word here. What do you REALLY want & why? Thinking about this is the first step to being able to set a smart action plan.
For help with your own personal goal setting, or to enquire about my personal training services please get in touch 😊
