The sad truth behind health and fitness this time of year, is the fact that a lot of people have already thrown in the towel on their journey to achieving their fitness goals. Of course, we want the best for ourselves and its fairly common to have high expectations. However, life throws curve balls at us and good intentions are soon replaced with sorry excuses.

Sadly, the idea of perfection leaves us blinded to the progress we would have already made. When chasing our dream body or figure, we can overlook the small changes in ourselves both physically and mentally. Take the following as a gentle reminder that it is a marathon, not a sprint, when we are working towards our ultimate fitness goals.

The term ‘fitness goals’, has a different meaning to us all. Some of us are looking to lose weight or slim our waistline. Others are looking to put on lean muscle or tone our bodies. All the above requires patience, time and effort that many people struggle to maintain consistency with.

In my previous article, I discuss getting your goals down in writing as the first step in creating your ultimate plan to achieving your goals. If you have found yourself in a rut, remind yourself as to why you decided to make this decision to better yourself in the first place, and how important it is to you and your personal development.

If you feel like you have given up, lost motivation, or simply hit a plateau, maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Re-Assess what your short & long-term goals are. Try focusing on your short-term goals rather than being overwhelmed by the bigger picture. You may have to broaden the goalposts by assessing how you could make you’re targets more accessible. 

Remember, that reaching significant milestones is very important for boosting confidence. These targets can range from being able to do three push ups in a row to losing two pounds in a week. No goal is too small and reaching any target should make you very proud of yourself.

We are all on our own journeys with different objectives in mind, so comparing your situation to others will only de-motivate you further from your own journey. It’s all about making small but significant steps towards the ultimate goal. Progress is progress. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

If you’ve been struggling with making the time, try changing your workout plan to suit your work and lifestyle. Maybe you can only make it to the gym twice a week, that’s still better than nothing. There’s no reason why you can’t fit in a 20-minute home workout using bodyweight exercises such as burpees, star jumps and push ups in the evenings to continue steady progression.

What remains the most important element to all of this is consistency. Consistently putting in the work each week in the gym and the kitchen will ensure that you continue to progress in the right direction.

If you’re still pumping and sweating halfway through February, congratulations. You owe it to yourself to continue to progress into Spring and beyond to really enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you do find yourself struggling, remember – don’t let it be all or nothing, strive for progress not perfection!

Vinny Pyper – Marketing Co-Ordinator

Published: 18/02/2020