15 Tips To Help You Stay Focused On Your Fitness Plan
If your plan is to get back in shape after the lockdown, then you need these tips to help you stay focused on your fitness goals.
While it may be easy to make that new year resolution to eat healthily and exercise more, you might find yourself doing the reverse if you do not focus on what you have set out to achieve.
Setting a plan is not enough; buying the various kits needed would not stop you from developing cold feet or losing interest in months to come.
You have to do better by staying focused on determination and perseverance.
How To Stay Focused On Your Diet
Here are some tips that will help you stay focused on your diet and keep track of your weight loss goals:
1. Take It One Step At A Time
Aside from the fact that you could get easily bored with the whole idea, trying to rush through the dieting and exercising is a recipe for failure.
Rather than trying to lose 100 pounds in a month, why don’t you cut it to 20 pounds, carefully tracking your progress, observing your body changes, knowing what areas to improve, and bringing added varieties?
This method will help you achieve long-term fitness success rather than overnight success. It’s more practical, mature, and sensible.
When you lose weight too quickly, there are chances you would not be proud of your post-weight-loss body because it will be all wrinkled and saggy, worse than grannies.
And seeing the negative result, you might be tempted to go back to your former state which could be worse than you left it.
2. Leave Your Comfort Zone
It might be hard to stop buying that mac and cheese or queen dairy ice cream, but it is totally worth it if you stay focused on what you are gaining at the end of everything.
Avoid putting yourself in the situation of “saving for the rainy day.” What do I mean by this? Sometimes, you may be tempted to buy a bag of potato chips to keep it for those days when you will really crave junks and “might die if you don’t get it.”
Be rest assured such things do not happen, it’s just your mental creativity at work. Focus on staying away from junks by any means possible.
When you buy those comfort foods to defer to a certain period, you may be tempted to eat it that same day if not moment. So take safety measures and brace yourself up.
3. Keep Track Of Your Nutrition
Keeping track of what you are eating is another way to make it work. When you have a food journal, either manual or an online journal, it is easier for you to keep track of your progress.
You will find it easier to work on your slip days (days you overate or didn’t exercise) and improve on your good days.
You could also keep a separate calendar to mark the days, especially if you have set a target for yourself. You could set a target of two weeks before you check your weight on a scale.
Seeing that the days are moving fast will motivate you to aim higher.
4. Making Your Friend Accountable
Depending on how friendly or social you are, this could help you stay right on track on your goals.
Note that an accountable friend is far different from a workout buddy. This friend is someone who cares enough to monitor how far you are willing to go achieve that weight loss goal.
He or she is always open to listen to you nag about how difficult the process is, and is able to encourage you to keep on.
5. Get Rid Of Your Old Clothes
Another comfort zone you must free yourself from. It is always easy to slip when your old comfy clothes are still lying in your closet. It means you are yet to take the whole thing seriously.
Selling or giving your clothes away will help you maintain and keep working towards a leaner weight.
But you should do this after you have gotten to the intermediate or senior weight loss level. Trying this while you are just starting out may be overwhelming.
6. Don’t Give Up
Sometimes, it may look like you are stuck in the weight with no significant improvement whatsoever, and other times it may seem like you are actually adding weight rather than losing it.
Don’t make these minor things cajole you into going back to all your plans to achieve your weight loss goals.
One thing you should keep in mind that might help you is to remind yourself that you are doing it to keep fit and live in a healthy way and not just to get a slimmer figure.
7. Staying On Track Of Your Workout Routine
If you have started exercising, then you must really be dedicated to getting that well-toned body. Most people just say they would, but keep procrastinating till they don’t even remember their promise anymore.
But now that you’ve started, how do you ensure that you stay on track?
How To Stay Focused On Your Workout
Here are simple tricks to keep track of your working out routine and stay focused on exercising for at least three times a week, five times at most:
1. Baby Steps
You don’t have to do all the exercises in a day. You could share it between the days you plan on exercising:
Trying to incorporate all three in a day may burn you out faster than you imagine and make you discouraged and reluctant to keep working out.
Rather than running ten miles, you can just do two till you are strong enough to go ten. This would keep you motivated and totally on track.
2. Change Your Mindset
Try to see yourself as an athlete and not just someone who is trying out the gym for the first time.
Place a grip on that weight like you’ve been doing it all your life and don’t be afraid of your waist shifting when you are doing the squat.
Make it look natural like you’ve been doing it for ages and not something you just began doing.
3. Keep In Mind You Are Doing It To Be Fit
Sometimes, we use exercising and bodybuilding as some sort of show off, which I am not saying is bad, you obviously want to enjoy what you worked for – your well-sculpted body. But if that is all you see it for, then it might end badly.
Exercising because you want to impress others may put you under undue pressure.
You will find yourself struggling to do more than you can which may result in sores, injuries, or worse still, trying to take shortcuts in achieving what you think will make people admire you more.
When exercising, keep in mind that you are doing this for yourself only. Think of all the health benefits it could bring you and it won’t be hard staying on track.
4. Schedule A Workout Routine Time
When do you feel comfortable working out? Before the sun comes up or on your way back from work?
Stick to anytime you choose to do it so that you would be more dedicated.
- If you feel stronger in the mornings, set an alarm to wake you up if you won’t be able to do so on your own.
- If your work is less stressful, you can always stop at the gym while coming back or come home and do an hour workout.
Whichever way you choose, write down your routine, and stick to it.
5. Making Out Time Even When There’s No Time
Make out time for your workout routine even if you are buried deep in work. There should be no excuses.
If you can’t do an hour at once, cut it down to 30 minutes in 2 sessions. If 30 minutes is too much, then 15 minutes in four sessions is your best bet.
6. Sleep In Your Workout Clothes
Do you notice you are often tired to get up from the bed when the alarm goes off and you lie there till it’s time to go to work?
Maybe things may go a little as planned if you wear your workout clothes to bed. This will make it easier to jump out of bed and head to the gym or begin your sessions at home.
7. Make It A Habit
See your workout sessions as something you must do to keep you fit and in shape. Just like styling your hair before you leave the house or washing your car, make exercise a part of your life.
8. Keep A Journal
This does not just include detailing the number of reps or sets you did, but also describing the way you felt before, during, and after the workout.
Were you depressed before exercising? How did you pull through during the exercise, and did you feel better after it? Write down in your fitness journal how you feel each day of working out.
Every improvement you add to your fitness schedule can have a huge impact on your goals. So make sure to use all these tips to help you stay focused on your diet and workout program. Your future self will definitely thank you!
