It’s cold. We’re only at the end of January and beginning of February. This is the time about 80% of people give up on their goals and New Year resolutions. The fitness goals go out the window. To make things worst, it’s exceptionally cold outside.
Motivation tends to decrease at a rapid rate when it’s cold; we haven’t made the progress we expected, it’s dark outside, and it’s been some time since initially creating out goals.
Right now is a big moment. What will you decide to do? Fall back into the cozy comforts you have gotten used to and nothing will change. Or push through the desire to be lazy and warm, build mental toughness, and feel emotionally and physically better. You decide on your quality of life.
Do you want change?
People set goals or New Years’ resolutions because they want to achieve something, they want to feel better in some way, or they want something to be different.
People who set fitness goals want change.
You’ve had a month to test out your goals or you’ve had a month to sit with them on the back burner. If you’re working on your goals, then the answer to the question above is simple, yes. You want change and you’re making it happen.
Now for those of you who haven’t made any movement on your goals, take a moment to really decide if you want that change. Do you want it enough to do something about it? If the answer is no, then you might be setting goals to impress others or because someone said it would be a good goal to set. The goal actually means nothing to you; it does not mean enough to you to change.
If that’s the case, I recommend spending sometime listing things you want for yourself, that will make you happy, and that you will enjoy doing. You will stay more motivated for much longer if you’re connected to your goals. If you’re lost on where to start, contact us and we will help you start making progress!
Making smart decisions
As I mentioned, you have the power of choice. You choose how and where you spend your time, energy, and attention. When you really look at it, you decide if you get up early to get a workout in or a walk before work. It’s you who decides if you come home from work and start taking care of household chores or sit on the couch. Look to the areas you can control in your life. So many factors of life are outside of our control. Make sure you’re making smart decisions on the controllables.
To be clear, I’m not saying spend every waking moment seeking personal, emotional, and physical improvement. There is a balance and an ability to make smart informed decisions. You need to tune into your emotional and physical well-being and take care of yourself. You do not want to push yourself to injury or burnout.
Being adaptable
Reflect on the goals that you set for yourself this year. Did you set them too high, did motivation dry up in the first week, did you know you were never going to even get close to trying to reach the outcome?
A tough part about proper goal setting is being completely honest with yourself.
You need to know what is achievable for you. My recommendation is always start a little smaller than the original goal and build from there. This helps you get your feet moving and start building positive momentum. However, this requires you to be completely honest with yourself. You will need to increase the difficulty of your goals as you build those new habits.
For example, you can set the goal to spend 30 minutes walking twice a week as a beginner goal. After spending two weeks walking, the next week you spend three days walking. Then 4 days walking. And before you know it, in two months you’re jogging for 30 mins and walking regularly.
It takes true grit and mental toughness to stick to goals and make them increasingly difficult. By making the choice to make progress on your goals, you’re not only building physical strength but also building your mental strength.
Contact us if you have any questions or if you want to restart your goals!
