10 EASY TIPS TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR FITNESS GOALS

By: Maria Acosta

New Year’s resolutions are in full swing and that means setting goals for how we hope to better ourselves over the next year. According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, only 9.2% of people felt they achieved their New Year’s resolutions in 2016. Don’t be a statistic! Here are 10 tips that will help you achieve your fitness goals.

1. Set achievable goals and deadlines. Setting impossible goals is a sure way to set yourself up for failure. Be realistic with your starting point and make sure you’re achieving them in a healthy way! If you want to lose weight, aim for 1-2 lbs. a week. Achieving your goal is an amazing feeling, no matter how small the victory.
2. Write it down. As simple as it may sound, writing down goals is a proven way to build up motivation. Writing goals down makes them real and it also allows you to focus in on what it is you really want. Put little reminders in places you will see daily: your phone or planner or even a post-it on the mirror! These daily reminders will help keep you focused especially in times of weakness.
3. Have a plan. Goals are just dreams if you don’t have a plan of action. If it’s something you have no experience with, find someone who does and ask them for help. Ask questions, do your homework and get things going!
4. Set small, daily goals. Every day is an opportunity to better yourself and what you do in that time will either get you closer or farther away from your goals. Setting smaller objectives and completing them helps to build self-esteem and strengthens your willpower. These small victories will make your long term goals more attainable.
5. Accept that you will have bad days. Perfection is impossible. There will be moments in your journey when you will give into temptation but that’s okay! You can discourage yourself by harping on the bad for too long.
6. When you fall, get right back up. The quicker you jump back on track, the less damage you will do. One bad meal can turn into a bad day of eating, which can turn into a week and so on until you’ve completely derailed yourself from reaching your goals. Instead of waiting until Monday to start over, start right away! Every minute is an opportunity to start fresh!
7. Get yourself a strong support system.  Surround yourself with like-minded people. Group classes like spinning and yoga are the perfect example of this. You motivate each other to get up and go! Having a personal trainer works the same way. Trainers push you to stick to the plan whether it’s during a workout or just a phone call checking in.
8. Self-motivation is the key to success. You are your biggest cheerleader! Look back to previous achievements you’ve made as a way to show yourself that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.  
9. Set alarms on your phone. Alarms can be used for more than just a wake up call. Set them to go off when it’s time to go to the gym or as a reminder for your next meal. Setting specific times will make these tasks more habitual.
10. Remember why you’re doing it. It’s easy to lose sight of why you started this journey in the first place, especially when times get tough. In the end, it’s your health and happiness that matters most. If you’re not enjoying yourself in this process, you need to get back to the roots and remember why you started it all!