2019 has already landed, and chances are, you’ve already started to think and note your new year’s fitness and health resolutions. However, if you find that you fail to achieve your goals year after year, then you are probably doing something wrong--or just miss out some important elements that would make your new year’s fitness goals list more “achievable”. If that’s the case, we at Teatox Australia have some tips for you so you can really achieve what’s in your list. Here they are:
Be more specific.
A common mistake many do when setting their new year’s fitness goals is noting down vague goals that lack specific action or plan. For example, a common vague goal would be “losing weight”. This can actually be very unhelpful as it tells you nothing about what you should be making specifically to accomplish it. It also doesn’t specify exactly how much weight you should get rid of--2 pounds per week? 8 pounds per month? Or 20 pounds in total? If you aren’t specific in your goals, then how do you expect to achieve them? Thus, next time be more specific and note down exactly all the details that you should consider to achieve your goal: your diet, your specific exercises, your schedule, etc and break down your plan into smaller sections and goals so you can easily achieve smaller milestones, before jumping onto the next one.
Set realistic goals.
Another common mistake many people do when setting new fitness goals for the near year is that they set extra hard or nearly impossible to achieve goals. You can, for instance, become an amateur bodybuilder in a single months--or even lose more than 20 pounds of body fat per month, with minimal effort. Some goals are plain unrealistic while some are unhealthy and could place your short-term or even long-term health under risk. While it is important to challenge yourself, setting extra tough challenges, especially if you don’t have enough experience, is often a recipe for failure. This year, be more realistic and set challenges that you can accomplish relatively easier e.g lose 2-3 pounds of weight per week instead of 6 pounds per week.
Set fitness goals that match your lifestyle.
Have you set specific goals last year but find you were not in the mood to achieve them? The reason to blame here is, they were mostly incompatible with your own preferences and lifestyle in general. You can’t, for example, hit the gym 6 hours a week when you are working 40+ hours a week with minimal breaks. It would literally be exhausting and you will most probably give up on the first week. Your daily schedule and lifestyle will determine both the time duration and specific physical activity you’ll do. If for example, you are a working mum that works from Monday to Friday 8 hours per day, you can plan some exercises and chores with the kids on the weekend or hit the gym twice a week for one hour. Busy folks can also prepare healthy meals fast and in advance, so they can bring them to work and avoid eating out or ordering junk food.
Avoid Distractions.
Another important element of a successful yearly fitness plan is eliminating possible distractions that could sabotage your chances of being successful. For instance, is your cabinet still packed with crisps, cans, fizzy drinks and unhealthy stuff in general? Toss it in the trash and leave only things that are nutritious and healthy e.g fresh fruit and veggies, herbal tea, etc. The reason is, when we are in a state of intense hunger and stress, we are more prone to reach out for unhealthy junk. And if you have the habit of watching T.V or browsing the Internet for hours and hours without physical activity, just keep it in a place where it is out of direct sight. Unplug your T.V and keep it in a hidden spot in another room or keep your laptop and charger far away from each other so you can’t easily plug them in and browse the web for multiple hours in a row.
What are your own fitness goals for 2019? Any other tips on how to achieve them more easily? Tell us in the comments down below….