HOW TO SAVE YOUR HEALTH & FITNESS GOALS FOR 2019
We are into the final three months of 2019 and many of us are finding ourselves short of the nutrition and fitness goals we set for the year. If you are not one of those people, Congratulations!!! You nailed it and we are proud of you. However, if you find yourself in the camp that derailed some or all your fitness goals for the year, we have great news for you. You can recover – and it begins today!
With a little over 10 weeks left in the year, you have time to make an extraordinary improvement in your health and fitness. We want to help you with that goal and give you some encouragement to be the healthiest version of yourself over the remainder of this year, so let’s get started with some tips and strategies to get back on track.
3 WAYS TO GET BACK ON TRACK NOW:
1. Own it– We believe the most important first step is to acknowledge the hard truth with brutal honesty. We took our eyes off the goal and allowed ourselves to go sideways or backwards with our eating and fitness plan. It happens. Life is messy and things happen that cause us to veer off the path we had established. That’s ok, folks. We’re complicated human beings and sometimes we just don’t do what we should.
Nonetheless, accept the fact that we are responsible for those outcomes and we are responsible for changing it. There is no magic fairy that will visit us in the night and set us straight again. By owning the results, we can make an intentional effort to get back in the game today and start right now. The next 24 hours will go by with or without us making healthy choices. By this time tomorrow, you can either feel the same as you do in this moment or you can feel accomplished that you have taken control of your actions to get healthy again. It is your choice and we hope you own it either way.
2. Make a plan– Sit in your favorite chair with pen and paper and map out the next 7 days. Don’t worry about the full ten weeks at this point, just plan the week ahead. Be intentional about planning 30-60 minutes of exercise for four of the next 7 days. This can be a simple walk if you are just getting back to the exercise scene, or it can be four days of crossfit if that is your jam. Put it in your calendar now and make that time non-negotiable. If necessary, rediscover how to start working out.
Also, plan out your eating schedule for the next 7 days. Follow the 80% rule—-for the next week make 80% of your meals clean, whole foods with portion control. Then, give yourself some flexibility with the remaining 20% of your meals. What you’re likely to find is the 80% of your meals that are healthy will help you make better choices for the 20% of your meals that are flexible.
Planning your exercise and nutrition like this has dual benefits—-not only are you being intentional and taking control of your choices, you are wiring your brain to be more disciplined, which will help next week’s plan as well. You’ve got this! If you’re motivated, take a deeper dive into nutrition to better understand how to manage your day-to-day diet.
3, Embrace your new attitude—It is often said that real change only occurs when the pain of remaining the same becomes greater than the pain of change. If you are reading this article, you most likely understand. You have chosen to change. Embrace that attitude and accept that the new you has made a commitment. You have empowered yourself to say yes to a healthier lifestyle and get back on track.
This is something to be excited about and we want you to embrace that feeling. You know you can do this! By following some simple guidelines like we listed above, you can feel—look—and be better by Christmas. Own it, baby! You are back on track.
We’re here to help you with this journey to be the healthiest version of you that you can be. Watch for more helpful tips and strategies from ISN over the coming weeks to make the last quarter of 2019 the best yet.
