Why you might be coming up short

Mid-February is the time where we either hone in on our fitness goals or lifestyle changes we set January 1st or they die out.  As a fitness instructor, I often witness first hand a surge in numbers in January, which makes me super excited, only to have them diminish by the time February makes its way around.  I have experienced both sides of this dilemma the past week or so.  I always do my very best to make the atmosphere and community in my class something participants can’t live without in hopes they stick to their goals and commit each week.

Surprisingly, university students have yet to disappoint me this semester in this way.  Must mean we are all getting better at time management? Let’s hope so! I do always try to make a point to remind participants in my classes that we all need a physical break from our studies and stresses to be able to come back with an open mind.  I know for myself, exercising helps me to refocus on my studies.  

In terms of those who have fallen off the wagon already, here are a few reasons why this might have happened.

Life gets in the way.  Things come up and we end up prioritizing other things instead of exercise.   It’s okay; it happens to everyone but it just takes some refocusing and some planning to get back into a routine.

We didn’t like the goal we set.  Maybe we wanted to do hot yoga every week but realized we absolutely hated it.  You have the power to change your goals so why not readjust to make them align with what you will enjoy.

Weather.  Although we are lucky that our winter hasn’t been too bad, the darkness really strips people’s motivation and makes them stay in more.  Picking a workout time that suits you will help conquer this.

Below I will provide you with my favourite tips to try and stay motivated, not only for January but throughout the rest of the year as well.  When we set goals and stay on track to achieve them, we not only feel better about ourselves, but this motivates and inspires us to continue to reach for more!

Get a workout buddy.  When we work out with someone else it makes us more accountable to follow through.  Whether you meet your friends for a group fitness class or your own strength session in the gym, you are more likely to go with someone else.  For me, I have a training partner for my half marathon.  We accomplish more together and help motivate each other as our runs get longer.

Register ahead of time for classes.  A lot of gyms make you preregister through their online systems for their classes.  This is great because it means you will be less likely to not show up because if you don’t, they typically charge your account.  It is much easier to just show up for the workout than have to pay for your lack of commitment.

Reevaluate your goals and schedule.  We all have high expectations for ourselves and want to accomplish as much as possible.  Especially in January, when we are excited for the new year to get started, we can sometimes set goals that are unattainable with the schedule we have.  I know for myself, I gave up working one shift in the gym because I needed more time to get other things done.  I reevaluated my schedule to make more time to get my school work done and accomplish my goals.  This reevaluation process can happen at any point in time when you feel as though you are losing sight of the end goal.

Hopefully this week’s post provides you all with an extra push of motivation and inspiration to stay on track as we head into the middle of February.  We just need to keep our end goals in mind and set ourselves up for success with a great plan.

Be fierce.  Be strong.  Be vibrant.

Rachel

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