You always hear the advice that reaching a goal is just step one and fitness is no different. Whatever goal you've set for yourself whether it's to lose a few pounds, bench a certain amount, run a mile in a certain time, or complete a 5K the next step is always the more difficult. Once you accomplish your primary fitness goal the journey shouldn't be over. You always hear how these fad diets or home workouts don't work because a vast majority of the people that complete it soon after put the fat back on and that's because they go back to their unhealthy lifestyle. Fitness isn't a 30 day or 90 day program. It is a lifetime commitment and that is hard for a lot of people. So here are my five tips for sticking with it past that initial goal.
1. Reward Yourself
Go look at any diet plan. Pick one. Paleo, Primal Blueprint, the Whole30, what is the first thing they tell you? Give up foods that taste good, and even more frightening give up alcohol. With the craft beer movement in full swing and some of the best tasting beers (chocolate stout) being the worst for you this is not a good time in the course of humanity to just be giving up alcohol. My tip is don't give it up. Don't give up delicious beer or pizza or burgers or milkshakes but limit them and limit them to rewards. You can do this in a variety of ways. I like to after leg day go and grab a bagel or if I go to the gym five days a week I'll hit up a brewery on the weekend and grab a pizza. Most of your weekday meals should be filled with fish, chicken, green vegetables and other foods that you know are good for you, but if you accomplish all your tasks for that week or even one task on a certain day go ahead and give yourself a reward. It will keep you motivated and won't suck all the joy out of life.
2. Do What you Enjoy
Running is a great exercise. It has scientifically been proven to be one of the best exercises for you, but guess what? I hate running. I find it boring and just getting started with a running program is brutal on my body. It isn't fun. What is fun is for me is lifting large amounts of weight. This might not be fun for you and you might instead enjoy running or you can't stand either but you like yoga or CrossFit or TRX or kickboxing or taking your dog on a hike. It really doesn't matter how you stay active just that you do.
3. Change Things Up
Say you're in the gym one day and just feel sapped of motivation. You've been doing the same three day a week 5x5 program for six weeks and you're just bored of it. The fun is gone from the exercises, your progress has stalled, and parts of your body are starting to cry in pain when you're working them. Stop doing this activity and do something else. Working out might be called work but that doesn't mean it has to feel like a chore. It is perfectly fine to do an activity for a limited amount of time and then move on to something new. In fact it could even be quite beneficial. The body isn't just a machine for raw strength or endurance or speed and switching up the training every now and again is both going to keep you engaged and help the body to develop in different ways.
4. Listen to your Body
Minor aches and pains happen when working out. It's coming to feel discomfort in muscles and joints from the stress of working out but sometimes those minor aches and pains can develop into major injuries. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong and maybe what you're doing is causing that pain. If the pain is too much to work through or in an area that worries you like the knees or lower back then stop doing an exercise or program and go ahead and apply rule number three and switch to a different program. Our bodies around made to go to the gym every day and lift hundreds of pounds. It's good to take a break every once in awhile and let the body heal but don't take a full break. Keep your workout time slot filled with some sort of activity even if it is a lower intensity activity. Think of it as the equivalent of the High Intensity Interval Training practice of active rest applied on a larger scale but instead of high knees between sets of burpees its a week of daily morning hikes instead of weight training.
5. Schedule a Feat
Why are you working out if death is the only guarantee of life? This is a thought that creeps into my mind every now and then while I'm working out, but this isn't the case if there is something I'm working out for. Not so much a goal anymore but a feat. There are plenty of physical feats around. Many local gyms offer power lifting or bench competitions, there are a million 5K's and if your a bold endurance athlete schedule a marathon or triathlon, then there are the obstacle races that are so popular these days. Go ahead and lay your money down for a spot in one of those and you're going to want to train up. Human nature leans towards vanity. No one wants to finish last in a 5K or fail to climb the 8' wall in a Spartan race. The possibility of failure and humiliation can be a strong motivator. As well as wasting the $100 you laid down to participate in the feat, and when you accomplish it you'll feel better about yourself and ready for the next challenge.
