Gone are the days when you needed to join an expensive gym and fork up half your paycheck to get yelled at by an 18-year-old personal trainer to stay healthy and get in shape.
Nowadays, we have access to amazing fitness apps geared toward all sorts of people virtually at any point in their fitness journey.
Whether you’re into lifting weights, running, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), yoga, or Zumba, you can bet there’s an app for you. Nike Running App, Alo Yoga, Freeletics, TRX training club, and Peloton are just a few prominent examples, but the list is endless.
But if there is one major downside to relying on an app for your fitness, it’s finding a way to stay motivated and remain consistent with your workouts.
Read on for our simple but effective tips to help you stick to your fitness plans and achieve your goals: improve body composition, increase energy levels to be more productive, or simply get healthier and reduce the risk of disease down the road.
1. Know What You’re Trying to Accomplish
The first step in your journey is to exactly what you’re trying to accomplish.
Sure, everyone wants to get in better shape. But that’s too vague. Spend some time thinking about what “better shape” means to you.
Do you want to lose weight? Are you trying to get stronger? Perhaps you want to improve the quality of your sleep?
And then consider why you want to achieve these goals and how that would improve your life?
Perhaps you want to lose weight to feel more confident and have more energy throughout the day. Or maybe you want to pack on some muscle for your next trip to the beach.
There aren’t any right or wrong answers here as long as you’re honest with yourself and recognize what drives you.
And finally, put some numbers on your goals so you can track and measure progress.
If you want to lose weight, how much do you want to lose, and within what period. This will allow you to break down your larger goal into weekly and monthly goals that are more manageable, and you can plan your fitness routine accordingly.
2. Set Yourself Up for Success With the Right Goals
Continuing on the topic of goals, it’s vital that you set a goal that isn’t too easy but one that also isn’t completely unrealistic.
Let’s say, for example, you want to lose 10 lbs of body fat. A healthy range, one you can achieve with sustainable lifestyle adjustments, is losing 1-2 lbs of body fat each week.
If you set a goal that exceeds that range by too much, then you’ll have to resort to unhealthy crash diet tactics that can be harmful in the long run.
Many fitness apps will ask you what you’re trying to accomplish and then recommend workout plans based on your goals.
Definitely push yourself to healthy limits, but remember that consistency is the name of the game. Ultimately, for long-term success, it’s about creating a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
You can set yourself up for success now by setting a goal that will test you, but one that you know is achievable with consistent effort.
3. Find an Accountability Partner
Traditionally, trainers at the gym would serve as your accountability partners. You’d be less likely to skip your workouts because you wouldn’t want to let them down or make you go “extra-hard” on your next session.
But when relying solely on fitness apps, it’s easier to skip workouts because no one will know. You can solve this in a few different ways.
Some apps might have built-in accountability with a “check-in” feature. So, after you complete a workout, you’d log your training for the day to track your progress and make sure you’re on track.
A better way is to find a friend or family member, and tell them about your fitness goals and your plan to achieve them.
Ask them to check your progress periodically. You could even make it more interesting and decide that you’ll donate a certain amount of money to a charity each time you skip a workout.
Or best of all, maybe you can ask your friend to join you on the fitness challenge so you can keep each other accountable.
4. Know What Type of Motivation Works For You
Sometimes you’ll need some external motivation on days when you just don’t feel like a workout.
Maybe it was a long day and the couch seems too inviting. Or you have issues at work that’s bearing heavily on your mind.
At these times, know what will get you over the slump and into gear to complete your daily workout.
For some, it’s could be a go-to playlist. For others, it could be reviewing a list of benefits when you reach your fitness goal.
If necessary, you could also take an energy wellness shot, like Naked Fire Shot from Naked Nutrition, for an added boost in energy, focus, and motivation.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to self-motivation for fitness, there are many potential downfalls.
It could be your busy schedule, family obligations, unexpected work projects, or a promise to yourself that “I’ll do it tomorrow” after a long and tiring day.
But remember, if you improve your fitness, almost every aspect of your life will be positively impacted. You’ll be happier, healthier, and you’ll have more energy to do more at work and with your family.
So, keeping that in mind, promise yourself that you won’t skip workouts on your fitness app, and use the tips mentioned above to stay consistent with your routine.
