Whether you are starting a new fitness routine, an experienced vet or even a recreational gym user your fitness program can fail. There is a risk you may get bored, not see results or even over train. All of these things can cause you to lose commitment, stress out, become demotivated or fall off your fitness routine. The following are the top 5 reasons that your fitness program can fail and how you can prevent that.
You have not set any goals
You are in the wrong training environment
You don’t have a support system
Not allowing for ‘fun’ time
You Don’t have a training schedule
1. You have not set any goals
In order to succeed at whatever your fitness goal might be it is important to set specific goals. These goals will help you attain your end goal. It usually helps to also set a timeline to achieve these goals. One of the best ways to do this is to set what is called a S.M.A.R.T goal. Often times we head into the gym with no idea what we are trying to accomplish or vague goals like "losing weight", "toning up", “working on my upper body….” S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. When a goal is measurable it helps to establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal you set. An attainable goals is important because when you choose goals that are most important to you, you will be able to figure out ways you can achieve them. A realistic goal means that you will be able to reach it and it. You can always reassess once you achieve it and set new goals. And finally the goal should be timely and set within a certain time frame to make sure you stay on track it should be written down.
2. You are in the wrong training environment
Going too extreme, too soon. i.e. forcing the body adapt to too much stressors all at once. Make changes gradually. Or you are in the wrong training environment and need to make a change to the right environment for you. If you don’t like big corporate gyms, then join a small studio. If you don’t like training alone, then try group fitness. If you only like training at home, then investigate that option. Whatever it is, you won’t continue going somewhere that you don’t enjoy walking through the doors.
3. You dont have a support system
If you don’t have a support system in place to keep you accountable you are setting yourself up for failure. Training partners, friends, spouse – people that are supportive of your goals. Too many roadblocks on the path can lead to failure. When you have a support system you are more likely to stay on track, be motivated and stick to a regular routine. We never want to let our friends or loved ones down, and we definitely don’t want to leave them waiting at the gym for us!
4.Not allowing for ‘fun’ time
Whether it’s a cheat meal or time away from the gym, the body and mind need temporary breaks, not pushing it 100% all out all the time. Allow for some things you enjoy and the program becomes much easier to follow. Plus this allows your body time to recover, regenerate and be prepared for the next week of workouts. I like to take Sunday and use it as a family day that way I enjoy my time and have some time away from the gym.
5. You Don’t have a training schedulePick a plan and stick to it for the duration. i.e. trust the process. Far too many try something for 2 weeks decide it’s not working and jump over to the next latest thing. One of the best ways to do this is to get a one-on-one personal trainer. If you would rather workout on your own maybe hiring an online coach like Me is an option. Online training programs like Trex do customized programs for you and you do them on your own. It’s a great option if all you need is to have someone to be accountable to.
There are a lot of different ways as you can see that your program can fail but you can succeed. Remember to set goals, write them down, get in the right training environment, find a support system, stick to a schedule and allow yourself some fun from time to time. You will be much more successful and happier with your results if you follow those steps! Happy training!
Alicia Bell - IFBB Pro - Online Coach
Hey Guys!
Long time no chat! We have made it to spring! And I just wanted to let you know that I have online coaching slots available NOW!
Summer is just around the corner so write down your goals and sign up now!
It doesn't matter your level or goal I can help you with my individualized online coaching:
Whether you are starting a new fitness routine, an experienced vet or even a recreational gym user your fitness program can fail. There is a risk you may get bored, not see results or even over train. All of these things can cause you to lose commitment, stress out, become demotivated or fall off your fitness routine. The following are the top 5 reasons that your fitness program can fail and how you can prevent that.
You have not set any goals
You are in the wrong training environment
You don’t have a support system
Not allowing for ‘fun’ time
You Don’t have a training schedule
You have not set any goals
In order to succeed at whatever your fitness goal might be it is important to set specific goals. These goals will help you attain your end goal. It usually helps to also set a timeline to achieve these goals. One of the best ways to do this is to set what is called a S.M.A.R.T goal. Often times we head into the gym with no idea what we are trying to accomplish or vague goals like "losing weight", "toning up", “working on my upper body….” S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. When a goal is measurable it helps to establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal you set. An attainable goals is important because when you choose goals that are most important to you, you will be able to figure out ways you can achieve them. A realistic goal means that you will be able to reach it and it. You can always reassess once you achieve it and set new goals. And finally the goal should be timely and set within a certain time frame to make sure you stay on track it should be written down.
You are in the wrong training environment
Going too extreme, too soon. i.e. forcing the body adapt to too much stressors all at once. Make changes gradually. Or you are in the wrong training environment and need to make a change to the right environment for you. If you don’t like big corporate gyms, then join a small studio. If you don’t like training alone, then try group fitness. If you only like training at home, then investigate that option. Whatever it is, you won’t continue going somewhere that you don’t enjoy walking through the doors.
You dont have a support system
If you don’t have a support system in place to keep you accountable you are setting yourself up for failure. Training partners, friends, spouse – people that are supportive of your goals. Too many roadblocks on the path can lead to failure. When you have a support system you are more likely to stay on track, be motivated and stick to a regular routine. We never want to let our friends or loved ones down, and we definitely don’t want to leave them waiting at the gym for us!
4.Not allowing for ‘fun’ time
Whether it’s a cheat meal or time away from the gym, the body and mind need temporary breaks, not pushing it 100% all out all the time. Allow for some things you enjoy and the program becomes much easier to follow. Plus this allows your body time to recover, regenerate and be prepared for the next week of workouts. I like to take Sunday and use it as a family day that way I enjoy my time and have some time away from the gym. 5. You Don’t have a training schedule
Pick a plan and stick to it for the duration. i.e. trust the process. Far too many try something for 2 weeks decide it’s not working and jump over to the next latest thing. One of the best ways to do this is to get a one-on-one personal trainer. If you would rather workout on your own maybe hiring an online coach like Team Trex Training is an option. Online training programs like Trex do customized programs for you and you do them on your own. It’s a great option if all you need is to have someone to be accountable to. There are a lot of different ways as you can see that your program can fail but you can succeed. Remember to set goals, write them down, get in the right training environment, find a support system, stick to a schedule and allow yourself some fun from time to time. You will be much more successful and happier with your results if you follow those steps! Happy training!
We've almost completed the glorious month of January and the big question is, 'How close are you to reaching your goals?' Did you fall off? Are you going strong? Are you discouraged at the progress or lack there of that you've made?
Well we all need encouragement and motivation to keep going, it's not always easy. Here are 5 things you should remind yourself of to keep going...
1.) Rome wasn't built in a day
Yes we've all heard it, we may have even said it a few times, but sometimes, we have to truly think about the meaning behind that saying. Always remember that anything and everything worth having takes time. Overnight successes are far and in between, though they can happen, in the world of fitness and health, it definitely doesn't happen over night. So keep going...
2.) It takes 21 days to start or change a habit... or so they say
Though some scientist say its true, who really knows if it is, as everyone is different. But one thing that we can all agree on is that breaking or making habits take time. Continue to remind yourself of that and just keep going. If you happen to fall, get right back up, but TRY to do something for 21 days straight and see where it gets you, it might get you to the point you need to make your new goal apart of your life.
3.) Beyonce' Wouldn't Quit
Maybe Beyonce isn't your favorite singer or person in the world, but you do have a favorite person or celebrity that you like. Do you think they got to whatever place they are in life and reached ultimate success by giving up? No, they didn't. So! keep going.
4.) Focus is everything
There are so many things that need our attention, but you can never forget that if you never focus on you or the things you want, you'll never be of real service to anyone else. So focus on your goal, see it, dream it, visualize it, and watch how fast you reach your goals. You'll be back in the gym, eating clean or whatever you're trying to do, in no time.
5.) Schedule time to make it happen
Life happens. To each and every one of us. Everyone needs something from us and there isn't unlimited time in the day. So with that being said, make sure you're scheduling to do what you truly want to do. Would you move, change or cancel your appointment with a person that could literally change your life and give you every single thing you want? You would be insane if you would. Well remember that you actually know and have contact with a person that can literally change your life and give you every single thing you want... YOURSELF! So don't move or change your appointments with yourself to help you reach your goal, whether that be working out, meal prepping, or whatever you're seeking to do to reach your goals.
It's the New Year!!!
Which ultimately means you're hearing around the office, "New Year, New Me", "I'm going on a diet", "I'll be hitting the gym tonight and every night until I get to my goal weight THIS YEAR! "I'm finally going to get out of DEBT" And that's great! But it's actually time to be practical. The New Year is a great time for new beginnings, but we really have to make sure that we stay realistic so that we never fall back into our old habits within a month... Below are a few tips that'll help you stick to your New Year, New You goals...
1. Be Realistic
Be real with yourself. Though it's possible, it's not healthy, nor realistic to lose a LARGE sum of weight within a short period of time. And though it's possible to win $40 million to pay off all your debt, the chances are slim. So be realistic with yourself and don't push yourself to failure by applying too much pressure on yourself.
2. Set short term goals... and stick to them
This is very similar to being realistic. We all have things we really and truly want to work on. So if it's weight, saving money, getting out of debt, or attaining any personal goal, how about set weekly and monthly goals for yourself in quarters. This way you're able to be realistic and feel accomplished. So an example of this would be to break the year down into quarters. That would give you January - March, April-June, July-September, October-December. Within those months, set up monthly goals for you to hit and things you need to do weekly to hit them and watch how amazingly you'll succeed.
3. Reward yourself
Anyone that's taken a psychology class, or lived for more than 2 years knows that positive reinforcement is a great tool to help change and shape behavior. So, with that being said, use your short term goals to reward yourself. But don't reward yourself with FOOD or SHOPPING if you're trying to lose weight or save money! Instead, reward yourself with a spa day, a pedicure, a walk around your favorite park, something worthwhile that won't set you back (remember, tailor this to your goals and end result).
4. Accept setbacks but don't stay there
Face it, you will encounter set backs, whether major or minor. But don't allow your setback to define you or deter you from your goals. You ate a cupcake when it wasn't time for your cheat meal, you couldn't resist a good deal on amazon.com so you bought something, you missed a week at the gym... Well, things happen. Accept it and move forward! You're not a failure until you quit trying, so just try again... You can do it!
5. Believe in Yourself
We've all heard it... Believe in yourself. It sounds so simple, but honestly, it's something that you really have to work at. Believe in yourself and believe that right now you have everything that you need to reach all your goals. Remember that and keep pushing through and before you know it, you'll be celebrating a year fulfillment next year at this time... So do yourself a favorite and believe in yourself and go for everything you want in 2017!
Why You Need To Keep Track Of Your Fitness Goals'
April is about the time of the year when we find out whether we have managed to make fitness a habit or not. We're now nearly four months into the year and four months since we resolved to do more exercise.
The challenge now is keeping up all the good work. We're just getting to the stage where training is starting to feel enjoyable. It's no longer a painful pursuit we feel that we have to do to stay healthy. It's something that gives us a sense of freedom and self-esteem.
It's about this time in our training, however, that we start to plateau. We get stuck in a rut, doing the same safe exercises over and over again. We don't challenge ourselves like we did before, and our fitness levels stop going up.
That's why it's so important to start tracking your progress. Using trackers fr om sites like fitnesstracker24.com make the process easier. One of the benefits of tracking is that it quantifies your progress for you. You get to see exactly what it is you're doing from week to week and what you need to do to improve.
Suppose, for example, you have a regular running route that goes for about four miles. A tracker will tell you exactly how far you have run and in what time. Of course, you could do that just using a watch and working out how far the route is on a map. But that means that you end up running the same route every day.
Fitness trackers are a great way of building variety into your routine. There's no need to take the same route every day to compare your performance. With GPS tracking, you can go pretty much wherever you want and still get a comparable score at the end of it. The flexibility of fitness trackers is their greatest strength. If you are somebody who regularly hits the gym, you can use fitness trackers to keep a track of the weights that you are lifting. The goal should be to increase the weight you can lift by about 5 percent every week or so if you're just getting started out. Trackers can record and store what you've lifted without you having to carry around a notepad and pencil around the gym.
But perhaps the biggest appeal of fitness trackers is the fact that they always give you a goal to strive for. Without all the helpful readouts and data, it's hard to know whether we are making progress. In some sports, like weightlifting, conditions change every week. The type of exercise may change, the number of sets might vary and so on. Just look at the sheer number of regimes you can try out at bodybuilding.com.
Trackers change all this and allow you to compare what you're doing today with your past performance. It's a remarkable tool. And it all comes down to the fact that trackers keep you accountable. They let you know when you're not making progress and prompt you to do something about it.
How To Keep On Track With Your New Year's Fitness Goals
OK, so just over a week ago, a lot of you might have made yourself some new year’s resolutions. And, by now, you may already have given up on them. If so, worry not. There’s still time to get yourself back on track without too much damage - and these tips should help.
We all have different reasons for getting fitter and healthier, and all of them are emotional. It might be so that you can fit into your old jeans again, or it could be because you are tackling a charity marathon and want to do your best. Whatever your personal reasons, always keep them in mind - especially during tough workouts, or after a busy day. All you have to do is turn up, push yourself to your limits, and you will soon catch that dangling carrot.
Read everything
Read about people hitting their fitness goals, and you will want to keep going yourself. I’d like to think there is more than enough inspiration on this blog, but there are hundreds of others. Fitness Edge is a new one I have recently found, but there are plenty more. Read up on everyone’s success stories, and picture yourself in their shoes. If you can understand the possibilities, then making it happen will be much easier for you.
Go faster
‘I don’t have enough time’ is an excuse I hear a lot from people when it comes to breaking their fitness goals. Well, if you are short on time, just work harder in the time you have. You can get more out of a high-intensity workout over twenty minutes than you can from an hour long jog anyway. So, push yourself faster and harder, for shorter periods of time, and you will see results.
Plan your week better
Another big reason people don’t achieve their fitness goals is through lack of planning. We’re all busy, but if you want results, you have to make time. Plan your week or month long in advance, and identify times when you will workout. Don’t miss them - for anything. Treat them like you would an appointment with the doctor or even part of your working day. Once you get used to it, it will feel like it is part of your life. But, you can’t get to that stage without including your workouts in your calendar or diary.
Get a support network
OK, so getting a support network means two things. The first one is obvious. You just hang out with people that understand what you’re doing and give you help and encouragement. But the second one involves keeping yourself away from those that don’t understand. You know who I’m talking about - it’s the guys that doubt you. It’s the people that enjoy a drink a little more than the next person, and encourage you to tag along. It can be tough to keep good friends at arm’s length, but it won’t be forever. Once you have got past a certain point, you mind will be a lot stronger to deal with these issues. And, when it comes to drinking, you can always have one of these.
Hope this has helped - let me know how you are getting on!
3 Steps To Help You Grocery Shop
Take grocery shopping into your own hands. The following three steps will help you to properly navigate your way through the grocery store in order to support your healthy lifestyle, avoid diet sabotage, and impress your family or the significant other in your life. Carry these tips in this article before you make your next trip to the grocery store and remember to never go grocery shopping if you are hungry.
STEP 1: THE SHOPPING LIST
Before heading to the grocery store prepare a comprehensive weekly shopping list. I recommend sitting down on a Sunday to plan out your main meals for the week, from there you can create a shopping list of all the ingredients/items you will need to make your healthy meals. You can do this on a scrap paper, in a notebook, iphone or blackberry.
Having a list will help you stay focused in the grocery store and avoid picking up “temptation items” that can be detrimental to your healthy, clean eating diet. Lastly, remember to stick to the main rule: IF IT’S NOT ON THE LIST KEEP IT OUT OF THE CART! That meals not even an extra candy bar at the counter. Sticking to the list also helps you stay within your budget.
STEP 2: THE GROCERY STORE
For the majority of your food items you will only need to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store. Processed foods and foods that contain sugar and startch are what is normally found in the aisles. Along the perimeter is where the fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, and whole grains can be found. You can venture into the aisles for food items like flax seeds, oatmeal, cooking oils, spices, or whole grains.
STEP 3: READING LABELS
Reading food labels can be very confusing and most people don’t really know what to look for. Avoid foods with: Trans fats, long ingredient lists with lots of artificial ingredients and added chemicals, unhealthy additional sugars such as sucrose, glucose, sugar, maltodextrin, corn syrup etc. Do not believe everything you read because occasionally food labels make claims to trick you into thinking they are the healthy choice when they truly aren’t. Watch out for statements that include claims like “no added sugar”, “contains real fruit”, “all natural”, “fat free”, “low carb”, “high protein”. Be aware and investigate these claims by checking nutrition labels and ingredient lists. These claims are made in order to deceive people into buying it so don’t fall into their trickery so always double check.
I was recently reading John Maxwells book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of growth. One particular subject that struck me the most was a section on fear. We all have different fears. Our fears keep us from being successful at goals that we wish to achieve. Obviously fitness goals are included. According to Maxwell five factors come in to play when it comes to your fears:
1. Fear of failure.
2. Fear of trading security for the unknown.
3. Fear of being overextended financially.
4. Fear of what others will say or think.
5. Fear that success will alienate peers.Which one of the previous effects your fitness goals? We all have fears. In order to see results we must face these fears and have a stone faith in ourselves to overcome them. You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will believe in you. So I want to encourage you to face your fears and go after your goals right now. Don’t put it off until later. Start right now. Face your fitness fears today. Don’t be afraid of failure or whatI what people will think of you in the gym change your thinking. Don’t be scared of what people will say about you. Go to the gym and do it for yourself. Those who really matter will support you. Fitness is tough but the more you make it a habit the less scary it is and the easier it becomes.
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