8 Tips To Achieve Your 2021 Fitness Goals

8 Tips To Achieve Your 2021 Fitness Goals

It is 2021 and January is slowly but surely cruising to an end. Before the year began, many of us made New Year resolutions, and while it is not easy sticking to resolutions, reframing your approach can help you succeed.

However, if you fall short of taking action to make a change or reach your goals, you may feel a sense of failure. The pressure to achieve our resolutions can be overwhelming (let’s face it, a majority of us fail at sticking to the resolutions) and we begin to feel those negative feelings.

We have listed some tips on healthy changes you can strive towards in ensuring that you achieve your fitness resolutions. These tips are to help you in readjusting your approach and mentality towards achieving your resolutions.

Create Specific Goals
Specific goals are better than general ones. Saying ‘I will lose 20 pounds by Dec. 31’ is a much better goal than ‘I want to lose weight.” Create goals that are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based.

Know What’s Working And What’s Not
Write your resolutions and pick one to focus on. Establish a plan to make it less of a struggle. For example, if you are struggling to fit exercise into your schedule, fix an exercise session into your calendar and keep that appointment. Just as you would an appointment with your boss, and would not cancel, don’t cancel on yourself. Once you have conquered your struggle, move it to the “what has been working well” list, and tackle the next item on the “struggle” list. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to focus on too many things at once. Make it simple, create a simple plan, and move on to the next once you feel you have created a good habit.

Go Easy On January
January 1 was just another day and while it may have marked the beginning of a new journey, you must also understand that you cannot achieve all the changes you desire in the first month. Change starts right now, not on a particular day so go easy on January by not putting so much ‘weight’ on it.

Give It Time
Change does not happen overnight, so give yourself time before you expect to see changes in your body caused by fitness and diet. Your body didn’t get to its current state overnight, it takes months and sometimes years so keep in mind that it would take time for it to get back to where you want it to be. A quick fix sounds desirable, but hard work is what it takes.

Progress Not Perfection
Most people find themselves quitting because they focus on achieving perfect goals rather than celebrating their progress. The best and easiest way to become healthier is to create lifelong habits. Diets don’t work, but healthy eating habits that are sustainable for the long run work.

Mental Health Is Important
Your fitness doesn’t have to do with just the physical or how your body looks. Don’t neglect your emotional and mental health while striving to feel better. Improve your brain health as a way to naturally feel good and keep yourself alert. Besides, many of us found 2020 a draining year, so 2021 is a good time to focus on your mental health.

Drop The Need For A Gym
Think of exercise as moving your body more. Thirty minutes of movement a day is all it takes to improve your mood, reduce your stress, and more. There are various ways you could exercise without leaving the comfort of your home. A streamed workout video, a walk, bike ride to mention a few.

Think of Food As Fuel
It is easy to blame your favourite foods or drinks for stopping you from reaching your goals, denying yourself from eating them can backfire. Eat meals in moderation and don’t turn to food to cope with your emotions.