How to Set Yourself Up for Success
How many times do you say “today’s the day for my comeback” only to forego your plan, for the 5th time in a row?
Let’s talk about the different ways you can set yourself up for a successful fitness journey. Knowing that everyone is different and may struggle in different areas let’s dive into all the different tricks & I’ll let you pick which one you need the most.
1. Schedule it in
In today’s day and age, most of us live with our phone attached to our hip, which means use your calendar to your advantage. Schedule your workouts in between your work meetings or directly before/after work and make sure you have your alarm reminder turned on so you see it or hear it and you can start to mentally prepare for what needs to be done in order to get to the gym.
If you wanted to be really organized you could download an additional calendar, add in your workouts in the correct time slot & color coordinate them based on your workout plan; blue = HIIT, red = strength training, green = core & mobility. A quick and easy visual to remind you of what’s on the agenda for today.
2. Prepare your bag
The night before, not the morning of. Why? Because you likely have more time in the evening than in the morning and you’re much less likely to forget something. Carefully run through your list to ensure you have everything because forgetting a simple thing might just be enough to throw in the towel and call it quits before you even get started. Depending on when you’re scheduling in your workout will depend on what you need to bring and prep ahead of time: gym clothes, work clothes, towel, shower essentials, post-workout snacks, lunch bag, shoes, socks, etc. Eventually, you’ll know the items you need to pack off the top of your head and you might even buy a few extra items to keep in your gym bag to help ease the prep each night.
3. Have a workout plan
Showing up at the gym without a workout plan is going to be your biggest time waster. If you’re a newbie you’re likely to start seeing results pretty quickly, even if you don’t have a plan however if you’re experienced in the gym you’re going to need a long term plan so that you can achieve your goals. You want to make sure you’re not overloading the muscles with repeated movements day in and day out. Simple solution: hire a coach and let them do the thinking for you. They are the experts who can put together the best workout plan for you to achieve your goals. This will eliminate the huge component of “I just never know what to do once I get there”.
4. Budget your time
Some people say that they don’t have the extra time to get workouts in but we all have the same hours in a day, it’s about budgeting your time according to what is most important to you. No one said your workouts had to be 60+ minutes long, 5 days a week. You can achieve your fitness goals in just 20-30 minutes a day. They may take a little longer to achieve than someone who has 90 minutes a day to workout but if all you have is 20-30 minutes, then make that work.
Knowing your workouts ahead of time will allow you to plan your time accordingly (which is where hiring a coach can come into play). If you know Tuesday & Thursdays are your early morning meeting days or your kid pick up days from daycare then your coach can ensure to program HIIT on those days, which may only need to be 30 minutes. If you’re only getting in 3-4 workouts a week, allow your coach to create a program that gives you as much bang for your buck within your workout window so you can be sure you’re still working towards your goals.
5. Nutrition
If you’re working out and eating healthy 5 days a week but frustrated that you’re not seeing the results you want, then you’re not alone. You’re amongst a lot of other fitness goers actually. One thing you need to remember is that your goals don’t stop at the weekend. The weekend isn’t to celebrate your hard work with drinks and bad food, in fact, that’s not a reward at all, that a punishment. You’re only deterring your goals even more by being counterproductive with your “rewards”. Instead, why not find something to celebrate with something that doesn’t hinder your progression. A movie night, new gym clothes, new headphones, buy those expensive protein bars and have them only on the weekends. Whatever it is, if you need to celebrate at the end of a hard week then make it compliant with your hard work, not sabotage it.
6. Rest and refresh
This is the topic that no one wants to hear about because I know we all wish we got more sleep but getting plenty of sleep and trying to go to bed at the same time each night creates a routine. Creating a good evening routine such as journaling or a digital detox can help you unwind and destress allowing for a quicker and easier sleep. Remember, a good night’s sleep can improve mood, memory and helps promote physical and mental restoration which can go along way in your personal, business and fitness avenues.
7. Financial commitment
Another big stress or balancing act when it comes to fitness is the financial commitment that is tied to it.
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Gym membership = money
Gym clothes & shoes = money
Coach = money
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But good health = priceless
You need to outweigh the pros and cons of your health and fitness goals. If you’re serious about your goals then you need to be serious about budgeting. What can you cut back on? What can you give up? And what can you modify? Where do you need to make changes in your current lifestyle if you want to make this happen? Whether it’s in eating out, movie night, shopping, daily coffees or other money eating habits – if finances are what’s stopping you from working out then you’ll want to make sure to prioritize your spending to ensure you can commit to this long term.
