Posted on February 03, 2022 by Emily Forbes

Oh February how we love you (not!). Deep dark winter, still skint from Christmas, all those Christmas and New Year treats and booze have taken a toll on the waistline and our fitness New Years resolutions are already down the pan. So, some things we can’t change but just because you haven’t got off on exactly the right foot, does that mean you have failed? No. Can you still change your situation? Absolutely! But how? You ask. By holding yourself accountable! And here’s how……

  1. Know your “why”. This will be your motivation for starting and sticking with your goal. And it needs to be a good reason. I talked before in my blog “Celebrate Your Wins” about a way from and towards motivation which will get different results depending on what you are telling yourself.; “I’m going to the gym because I love feeling healthy and strong” vs “I have to go to the gym because I’m feeling fat and disgusting”.
  2. How bad do you want it? If its’ anything less than a 9 or 10 out of 10 it’s gonna make it much harder. What is stopping it from being a bigger priority?
  3. Preparation is key. It’s easy to make excuses and talk ourselves out of things. When we are running around at 6am trying to leave for work it’s likely the gym bag will get “accidentally” forgotten at home so you “can’t” do your workout, or you do make it to the gym and then realise you have no trainers. Get your bag packed the night before, or prep that meal, or write your shopping list, take a few minutes to prep whatever it is to keep you on track.
  4. Get accountable by telling someone what you are doing. Sometimes this is getting a buddy and doing it together, getting a personal trainer, posting on social media, or one thing I’ve learnt from one client is to tell a classroom full of kids, they definitely won’t let you forget your training/goals.
  5. Set long term and short term goals. Your long term goal could be to lose 10kg. Sometimes, this can be very daunting and hinder you getting started. So, break this down further into monthly/weekly/daily goals/tasks to help you achieve your long term goal. Losing 0.5kg a week sounds much easier than losing 10kg. Use SMART to help you (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic/relevant, time-bound).
  6. Tracking and trackers! Track your food, weight, measurements, weights you’re lifting, training sessions, whatever will help! Kinda falls into your measurable element of goal setting, but I think it helps with motivation. For example, I’m using a tracker for cold showers right now, the goal is 5 out of 7 days, and I can tell you that I don’t want to let myself down!
  7. Schedule your workouts like appointments. Get them in your diary and only cancel if it’s an emergency. Even if you’re feeling tired, sometimes it’s better to do a gentle or shorter session instead of skipping it completely, 9/10 you’ll feel better for it.
  8. Reward yourself for hitting goal milestones. Not a big blowout food weekend and sabotaging your hard work but perhaps some new gym wear or a massage.

February. Let’s do this!

Emily x