It’s a familiar scenario: You sign up for a gym membership and commit to a healthier lifestyle when the year starts, working hard to get abs and look leaner just in time for bikini season, then you begin to falter during the colder months, eventually giving up entirely by winter. The excuses range from “I don’t have time to work out,” to “Life gets in the way,” and “I deserve this binge.”
Staying on track with your fitness goals requires hard work and willpower, as well as the right mindset and a sound strategy. Here are some ways you can stay committed to being fit:
Do a variety of exercises
When it comes to your workout, variety is your best friend. Apart from keeping you from getting bored and eventually giving up, switching your exercises regularly helps you see results consistently. This is because different workouts “shock” your muscles into working harder. The more you do something, the easier it becomes, so your body burns fewer calories and builds less muscle every time you do the same thing. It is ideal to change your exercises every four to six weeks, and the tweaks can come in the form of doing more repetitions or lifting heavier weights. You can even do something completely different. For example, if you’re boxing now, you can switch to dancing or running in a few weeks. Keep your body guessing, and you’ll keep seeing results.
Stick to a schedule
Turning your workout into a habit makes it harder for you to skip it. Set aside a specific time to do it every day and set a particular time for it. It doesn’t matter when you do it. If you’re an early riser, do it in the morning; if you’re busy and can only exercise after work, do it at night.
Take photos
Not seeing results can be very discouraging and drive you to quit altogether. When it comes to tracking your progress, sometimes the scale is not your best friend. Taking photos is a more accurate way to see just how far you’ve gone, and you can look at them every time you need extra motivation or need to compare your old and current appearance.
Invest in a meal delivery service
It’s been said that abs are made in the kitchen, so if you want to lose weight, you need to pay attention to what you eat and how much you eat. Keeping track of your caloric intake and planning your meals can be very time-consuming, so you might want to consider investing in a service that delivers fully cooked meals. It takes the guesswork and legwork out of meal prepping, and the meals are prepared by chefs who make sure that the dishes are within 600-800 calories, allowing you to stay on track with your daily caloric needs.
Overall, achieving your fitness goals takes time and a lot of effort, but with lots of discipline, inspiration, and a fool-proof game plan, it can be done.
