Tip #1 – Build your own support group

Studies show that, more than anything else, having a partner (or two or more) will keep you motivated as well as accountable which, in turn, helps keep you on track.  Without someone to whom you feel responsible, it is much too easy to fall off the wagon and harder to get back on. The truth is that a little peer pressure is good for you, especially when your peers have the same similar goals as you do. Weight loss doesn’t have to be the only goal.  Showing up to a class or hitting a step/miles goal can be just as effective.

Tip #2 – Set Goals

Your fitness goal needs to be more clearly defined than “get in shape.” The problem with vague goals is that they provide you no final destination, which means the motivation to reach the end isn’t as great. When your goal is something definite, like “lose 25 pounds,” you’ll be able to track your progress towards it in definite increments. Reaching the mid term goals, for example, feels great, and gives you incentive to keep working towards the ultimate goal.

The other problem with vague goals is that they are a sign that you haven’t given your fitness plan enough thought. To hit a specific goal, you need to plan out the details.  Weight loss goals require you to know how many calories you should eat a day and what deficit you need to have per day to reach that goal.  Mileage goals means you need to know how many miles you need to run per week to reach your goal. Once you know these things, you can build very specific short terms as well as long term goals around them.

Tip #3 – Advertise Your Goals by Telling Everyone You Know

Publicizing your fitness goals through social media is like having an accountability buddy on overdrive. Then tell your friends that you want them to hold you accountable.  Find those friends who will call you out about your progress and follow up with you.  Doing this will really help you stay focused when the going gets tough.  Again, a little pressure and guilt are good things to have in your life if you are serious about your goals.  What’s best about this is, when you post an update saying you’re halfway to your goal, you’ll get tons of likes and positive feedback and that feels amazing!  All that encouragement will make all the hard work seem worth it (and a little more manageable).

Tip #4 – Set Yourself up for Success

1. Do a kitchen cleanse:
   1. Throw away all the “bad for your foods” and go shopping for new healthy stuff.  Get your family involved with this too.  Having the support start at home is CRITICAL.
2. Write down your goals and post them on your mirror, your fridge, INSIDE your fridge, at your office, etc
3. Find that outfit that you really want to get into, and hang it up somewhere that you’ll see it everyday.
4. Schedule target dates on your calendar with specific goals to meet by those days.

Establish your support group: trainers, dietitians, friends and family and make sure you know who is going to support you.  Additionally, find ways to block those people who are going to sabotage you. Many people will do this to you unknowingly (moms, spouses, even best friends because they love who for who you are and they know there is a little suffering that goes along with setting out for a goal.  They don’t want to see you suffer so they accidentally sabotage your effort.  “Honey, you don’t need to lose weight.”  “Babe, it’s raining outside, you ran yesterday, you can take one day off.”  “Don’t set your alarm, lets just sleep in tomorrow.”