Have you set goals in getting fitter, transforming your physique, optimizing your fitness, and becoming the healthiest version of yourself? That is fantastic – but now comes the follow-through! The sad reality is that most people do not achieve the health and fitness goals that they set at the start of a new year. In fact, many of them have fallen off the wagon by March! Here we provide 3 main reasons that you might fail to succeed and then give strategies to succeed in getting and staying fitter, so you can achieve everything you set your mind to in 2022!
3 Reasons People Fail to Reach their Fitness Goals
1. Unclear Goals
Your fitness goals should follow the SMART formula. SMART is an acronym that stands for …
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
Here are examples of how to set a fitness goal in 2022 using the SMART formula,
It is July 1st, 2022, and I can dead lift twice my body weight.
It is December 31st, 2022, and I can run around my block twice, without stopping.
These goals meet the Smart criteria points, but they are also stated in the positive present tense.
2. Life Gets in the Way
“Become responsible for your exercise
plan, take accountability of where you are, be honest, and plan what you need
to do to get you where you want to go”
Even those who can swing their routine to make room for their workouts, may struggle to sustain the motivation and enthusiasm to turn their fitness ambition into a lifestyle habit.
“Exercise must become a lifestyle
habit”
3. Unreasonable Goals
The route to fitness goal achievement is slow, constant, and steady.
“In terms of weight loss, you should
aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week.”
That may not sound like much, but over the course of the year, you will lose more than 50 pounds, which will totally transform your physique.
5 Ways to Succeed With Your 2022 Fitness Goals
1. Discover Your Emotional Motivator
Now think of a couple of people working out in the gym. One has a general idea that they want to lose some weight to look good on the dance floor. The other is there because she wants to set a role model of health and dedication to her kids and to be able to run around with her kid’s kids.
It’s obvious that the second person in each situation will have greater enthusiasm and motivation to keep going when difficulties arise, when schedule conflicts challenge their routine and when they hit an inevitable training plateau. The difference between them is that the second person has an emotional driver that propels them beyond the day-to-day challenges that threaten to interrupt their healthy habits.
“Find your emotional driver to propel
you forward when things get hard. Write it down. Stick it to your mirror. Stick
it to your fridge. Make sure it’s in your face!”
When you are able to find and cling onto your emotional driver you will be able to stoke the fires of motivation. Find it by asking yourself for the reason that you want to achieve your goal. Don’t accept the first answer but keep asking why until you get to the core reason that you are doing what you’re doing.
2. Find a Workout Partner
“Choose your workout partner wisely!”
When you’re looking for a workout partner, choose a person who has a similar motivational style as you. Do they like exercising at the same time as you?
If you’re the type of person who operates best with a quiet ‘you can do this’ from a partner, the last thing you want is a loud talking, high fiver screaming at you as you pump out your reps if the gym is your thing.
3. Have Sessions with a Personal Trainer
on your exercise form, provide you with training tips and make adjustments to your training program. In addition, they will give you a healthy helping of motivation to keep you on track.
“We suggest at least having a first
consultation with a PT, they will probably tell you about blind spots in your
routine, that you have but never realized”
You may not be able to afford to work with a personal trainer full-time. If you can, though, we recommend having a session with a PT every month, to keep you on track and provide you with a monthly injection of extra motivation. This is especially beneficial if you are exercising to burn calories and get fit at home. If you’re getting on in years, discuss with your trainer how your workout should change after 40.
4. Enjoy the Journey
“Unless you come to enjoy
the fitness journey you will end up looking for excuses not to exercise.”
Find types of exercise that you enjoy doing. If you hate running, don’t run and if you get bored out of your mind when lifting weights, don’t do that either. There are so many fitness training options out there – from group fitness classes, taking a fitness 30-day challenge, to functional training, games, sports and nature hikes, or even home training options like space saver elliptical machines – that you’re bound to find something that you love to do. Find that and stick with it.
Enjoying the journey also involves training smart for your age and body. If you are over 65, for example, choose exercise machines for seniors.
5. Focus on Daily Goals
While you should most definitely set a long-term goal for how to get fit in 2022, you don’t want to focus on that goal day every minute of the day. That’s because your long-term goal is too big. It can easily be seen as unattainable, especially when you are faced with immediate challenges.
To achieve your long-term goals you need to break them down into stepping stone goals, each of which leads you to the larger goal. We recommend breaking your goals down into daily actions that you need to follow for success.
Here are a couple of examples of daily goals …
Today I will have an awesome workout, increasing my rep count by two on the last set of every exercise.
Today I will eat clean, with no between meal snacks.
Make it your mission each day to nail those tasks and the long-term goal will take care of itself.
Your daily goals will probably revolve around exercise and eating. So, when you wake up in the morning, spend a few minutes getting clear in your mind exactly how you need to train and what you need to eat, and avoid, to make your body better that day.