5 Things to do if you’ve fallen off track with your fitness goals
We’re just over a month into the new year and this is about the time when it becomes easier to fall off track from any fitness goals that you’ve set this year. And you’re not alone; according to the internet, roughly 80% of people fall off track from their new years goals by February.
Here are 5 things that you can start working on today to get you back on track with your health & fitness goals if you feel like you’ve fallen off!
Be kind to yourself - its normal
The first real step is acknowledging how many people actually do struggle with this. Recognizing that this is a normal experience helps us to not beat ourselves up over it. This might just be my own personal philosophy, but really, when life feels too heavy and deep, I zoom out of the picture and realize we’re all just on a floating rock in space. Achieving goals feels great - and of course life feels more purposeful for us when we’re able to achieve the goals we envision, but if those things don’t work out when we expect them to, try to be kind to yourself about it. This kindness to yourself gives you the grace to move forward, rather than holding yourself back or staying stuck in a loop of feeling not good enough to meet your goals. You are.
2. let go of the idea of being perfect
Focus on getting 1% better everyday instead of trying to make all of the changes at once. Change takes time and practice; you have to be kind to yourself through this process as well. Some days it’ll feel like a step backwards rather than forwards, but keeping your mind focused on improvement over perfection can really go a long way in making the journey feel more like play rather than another chore.
You really have to give yourself time to let go of routines that feel habitual and engrained in you. Even when you’re doing great with your habits, you’re going to experience little moments where old habits try or do come through, almost naturally. Creating change in routine is a practice.
How This Might Look for you:
Let’s pretend you have the goal of hitting 100 grams of protein per day, but you’re currently eating 60 grams of protein on average. It will be a challenge to meet this goal everyday if this isn’t something you’re used to. Going from 60 grams per day to 100 grams per day is almost double what you would be used to.
If it was easy for you to naturally be getting in 70 grams of protein, you would already be getting in that 70 grams of protein each day, instead of the 60 grams that you’re getting instead. There are learning curves that come from that change of just 10 extra grams of protein in your diet. Now think of the learning curves that come with going from 60 grams to 100 grams - that requires an entirely different learning curve and it takes time to build up to that change.
A much healthier and productive method would be gradually increasing your protein intake until you reach your overall goal. With this method, you’re allowing yourself to build up the knowledge on portion sizes, meal adjustments, satiety, preferences, and more. By allowing yourself to think of progress rather than immediate perfection, you can make incredible change.
Humans aren’t meant to just completely change who they are overnight - we have to build up that learning experience around those changes and it comes more naturally when you don’t force yourself to be perfect. “Perfect” won’t happen here on your fitness journey.
3. Revisit your “SMART” goals
The next step is to look into the goals you’re struggling with. One major reason we tend to struggle with meeting our fitness goals is if we aren’t completely clear on the following questions around your goals.
get clear on these questions:
What is your exact goal? (You should be able to tell me - not just that you want to gain muscle or lose weight, but how much? What does this goal look like to you?)
How and when are you going to measure your progress? (You need this piece of information as a cue to decide if you are on the right path).
When do you want to achieve this goal? (This gives you a reference point for how much progress to aim for when you take measurements)
Is this something I’m confident I can achieve in this timeframe? (If your goal is more of a “wish” or “want” rather than something that is realistically achievable with the given timeframe, then start first with a more achievable goal so it doesn’t constantly feel like you’re spinning your wheels. This method builds confidence and skillsets that will move you closer to your bigger goals for down the line).
Why is this goal important to me? (You need to make sure your goal aligns with your deeper values and purpose in life. Sounds cheesy, but this is the real driver for all of us humans - our values and purpose. Try exploring how you can set fitness goals that align with the things you currently value - IE: feeling empowered, feeling healthy, having more energy for friends and other hobbies, etc.)
Make sure to get very clear on these answers. If you didn’t have clarity on your goals before, this will change everything about your process and mindset as you get back into it.
4. take small action steps forward
Once there’s clarity around your goals, you can move into your plan of action to achieve these goals. Think more deeply about the habits and routines that would help you get closer to this goal. You can consider things like your nutrition habits, strength habits, cardio habits, activity levels, stress levels, and self talk as practices to implement into your current routines for your fitness goals.
Start off as slow as you need in order to allow yourself to build up the skillsets of what these habits require with your change in routine.
HOW THIS COULD LOOK FOR YOU:
Walking once a week after dinner until you build up to your goal of daily walks (and then eventually walking will become natural and you will no longer have to have a strict routine or structure with it)
Lifting once a week in the morning until you build up to your actual goal of 3x/ week (and then eventually lifting will become natural for you)
Eating veggies once a day with dinner until you build up to your goal of 3x/ day (and then eventually eating veggies will be natural for you)
5. find a friend with similar goals
Don’t just find a general accountability buddy — find someone who wants to work on similar goals as you do. The more similar your goals, the more you can both be there for one another to truly get support and accountability. With similar goals, you’ll also have similar struggles and obstacles, so you’ll really be able to understand what each of you are going through when you do need that support or push.
You can find accountability with your friends, coworkers, family, community groups, online friendships, or coaches!
Final Note
If this is something that you continue to struggle with, we are here to help! Feel free to ask questions in the comments of our blog posts, or check out coaching options for 1on1 help and guidance.
Stay strong, friends. <3
