Then there’s this back and forth of trying to get at it again briefly, and then going periods of time “off the routine”. Or maybe even quitting altogether. I found myself in this struggle back in my earlier years of trying to get in shape.
How can you make it stick? How can you get on a plan or routine and actually be consistent with it overtime?
Great question.
Being roughly 9 years into my “fitness journey” I’ve definitely learned a few things about being consistent and making it a part of my lifestyle. So, I’ve gathered some tips and ideas on the topic. Here are 5 tips for sticking to a fitness plan. Let’s dive right in.
PERFORMANCE VS AESTHETIC BASED GOALS
This one I feel is one of the most important tips, so pay attention.
There’s generally two main reasons people want to start a fitness plan, to either look better (aesthetic based goals), or to perform better in some way (performance based goals).
Aesthetic goals: bigger biceps, abs, bigger butt, smaller waist
Performance goals: stronger bench or squat, shorter mile time, more steps per day, not getting out of breath easily, stronger back, etc
The tip here is to try and focus more on a performance based goal rather than just an aesthetic based goal. Why? Allow me to explain.
First, I have to say there’s nothing wrong with aesthetic based goals. We all want to look and feel good about ourselves, I’m certainly on that boat. The problem is if someone begins a fitness plan primarily focusing on aesthetic based goals, it can be very easy to lose motivation, and stray off the path.
This is due to various reasons..
- Aesthetic or visual changes to the body take time. This can be several weeks, months, even years depending on the person. It can be demotivating to put the work into exercise and nutrition for days or weeks yet not visually see any changes.
- Aesthetic based goals also usually don’t carry a lot of value for most people. For example, someone can be insecure about their body, but then they put a big shirt or hoodie on and suddenly they don’t think about it anymore. A lot of motivation for aesthetic based goals also comes from wanting to impress others, or caring about what others think. Similar to the shirt/hoodie thing, it can be easy to forget about it as soon as no one is around. Wanting to impress others usually doesn’t provide the value needed to make a fitness regime stick.
- Aesthetic based goals are also notorious for being coupled with either food restriction, for weight loss, or sometimes even overeating, for those looking to put on size. You do have to be in a calorie deficit, or surplus, to lose or gain weight, respectively. However, a lot of times people overdo it and can develop unhealthy relationships with food, or even eating disorders. In either case, it can be a recipe for someone ditching those aesthetic goals they had.
Performance based goals are much better at keeping someone motivated to stick to their plan for reasons like..
- Unlike aesthetic goals that can take longer to come by, performance goals can be achieved on a smaller and more consistent basis. A person could see improvements on their goal lift, for example, workout to workout, or week to week. Another person could try a back routine that helps alleviate their back pain day to day, etc.
- Performance based goals can provide real value in the forms of personal accomplishment, pride, confidence, and belief in oneself to overcome challenges.
- Performance based goals can keep someone from being too food focused, and instead more focused on what they need to do to improve.
Another great part about performance based goals is that you can still achieve aesthetic goals simultaneously. Here are a few examples of how to merge the two, and see an aesthetic based goal more like a performance based goal…
- Wanting abs can turn into focusing on building a strong core for a safe spine, healthy balance, stability, and being able to handle heavier weights
- Wanting juicy quads or glutes can turn into focusing on the importance of leg and hip strength: sturdy balance as we age, better mobility, safer spine
- Wanting to lose some fat can turn into focusing on getting more steps, improving blood sugar management, improving heart health, improving mile time, etc
There are many benefits of a fitness routine that go beyond just the aesthetic side of things. Again, someone might have particular aesthetic driven goals, but then as soon as no one is around, or they don’t feel any pressure, the fire starts to die out.
Another example, If someone isn’t sure how to stay motivated to build a bigger chest (aesthetic goal), they could focus on getting a stronger bench, as well as nailing technique and form (performance based goals).
Hope that shit helped, let’s move on to the next tip..
TRACKING PROGRESS
Writing down/tracking your workouts, nutrition, weekly weigh-ins, etc, is another great way to stick to a fitness plan.
Being able to actually see where you are and where you’ve been sets you up perfectly for knowing..
- What is and isn’t working
- What you need to do or change in order to keep seeing improvements
It can also help with accountability.
TRACKING WORKOUTS
For workouts, tracking things like sets, reps, load, speed time, etc, can help to make improvements workout to workout.
Wanting to at least maintain, if not top, what you did last time can provide the motivation for the next workout.
TRACKING WEIGHT
For weight loss or weight gain, tracking weigh-ins is key. However, don’t obsess over the scale. It’s absolutely normal to have weight fluctuations day to day. The recommended healthy and sustainable rate of weight loss or gain is 0.5lb to 1lb per week OR 1-2lbs per month.
Weighing-in at least 1-2 times per week can be enough. Then comparing the averages week to week to see a general trend.
TRACKING NUTRITION
If your goal is weight loss, the most important thing is tracking overall calories. And to make sure you’re in a caloric deficit.
If you’re trying to put on weight, or build muscle, the two most important things to track are calories and protein. Ideally, a caloric surplus of 200 – 500 calories (depending on the person and their metabolism) and a protein target of roughly 0.8g – 1.2g per lb of bodyweight (also depending on the person).
PROGRESS PICS
Taking progress pics throughout the journey can serve as great motivation. We might not see changes day to day, or remember what we looked like a month ago. That’s why having a collection of pictures over time can better show someone just how much they actually have achieved.
INCORPORATE SMALL, ACHIEVABLE GOALS
Along with someone’s overall health and fitness goals, setting various goals that are smaller and can be achieved on a regular to daily basis can help keep a person motivated and on the right track. Not everyday has to be “perfect”, nor should it be. Examples of smaller, achievable goals:
- Hitting your daily steps OR simply getting extra steps
- Getting a certain amount of fiber
- Getting a serving of fruit
- Getting a serving of veggies
- Bodyweight exercises – push ups, squats, lunges – quick circuit
- Drinking more water
Stuff like that.
Plus, being able to achieve smaller tasks can help set us up mentally for how we approach and achieve bigger tasks.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Having some form of accountability for our goals is another great way to help stick to a fitness plan. It provides a sense of responsibility, and maybe even a little pressure
Forms of accountability can be things like:
- Tracking progress
- Having a workout partner
- Hiring a coach or trainer – Hello, there!
- Telling others about your goals and/or sharing them on social media
- Dare I say.. Being honest with yourself (or at least with a coach)
HAVING A DATE TO LOOK FORWARD TO
Whether you want to get in shape for summer, a wedding, reunion, a competition, whatever the hell, having some kind of time-window, or event to look forward to, is another great way to help stay on track.
A time window like 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, etc, is great for motivation because it makes each day valuable. Once the date is set, the clock is ticking. Then, day by day, week by week, you get closer and closer to that end date. Each day serves as an opportunity to make that goal a reality. Whereas if there isn’t any sort of time window it becomes even easier to fall into the “tomorrow” trap.
If you don’t have a particular event or date to look forward to, however, you can always set specific goals to achieve in a given amount of time. For example, someone could give themselves 3-6 months to hit a certain number on a given lift, or create workout blocks (mesocycles – collection of weeks) each with an emphasis on a particular muscle group, or lift (4 weeks with the main goal of improving deadlifts, followed by 4 weeks with the main goal of improving bench press, etc).
4 weeks is just an example, mesocycles can potentially range from 2 weeks to even 8 weeks.
But in any case, setting and planning workout goals is another great way to help stay on track, and to increase the desire to keep training.
RECAP
There ya have it, 5 tips for sticking to a fitness plan:
- Incorporate performance based goals into your routine, not just aesthetic based goals
- Track progress to know where you’ve been, where you are, and what you need to do to keep progressing and improving
- Incorporate small, achievable goals, such as hitting a fiber target for each day, hitting a certain number of steps per day, getting in a serving of veggies, drinking more water, etc
- Have some kind of accountability, whether it be a coach, a training partner, sharing your goals with others, or on social media, keeping a journal/log book and tracking everything, etc.
- Having a date or event to give you a time window. Having only a limited amount of time makes each and every day valuable, and another opportunity to get closer to the goal
Bonus tip: sign up for my one-on-one online coaching services! Heh… but for real, if you have trouble getting on and/or sticking to a fitness plan, let’s work together!
Check it out here!
https://lanenelsonfitness.com/online-coaching/
Thanks for reading!