Why is it that we always wait until Monday, or worse… January to take action? It is very difficult to start a new diet, a new training plan, a new anything. The first few weeks are always the hardest and that’s because it takes 21 days for you to make a habit! Keep that in mind when the first couple of weeks seem so difficult and frustrating.

If you are in need of some helpful tips and tricks on how to stick to your goals and stay motivated for the long run then read on because we have compiled some of our favourite ways to stay on track.

Remember why you started in the first place. You need to think of your ‘why’ and write it down. Visualise what it is you want to achieve. That might be completing a half marathon in under 2 hours or it might be losing that little bit of weight that you have never been able to shift before. Whatever the reason is make sure you keep it at the front of your mind at all times and then when you do find yourself  chipping in for a take-away or putting off a workout then you can remind yourself of your goals.

Have a good support network that might even come on your journey with you. Once you have set your goal it’s really important that you surround yourself with like-minded people who will help you to stay on track. If you have nobody in your family or friend group that you think would be helpful with this then check out social media. There are some amazing communities on Instagram, in particular, that will help you to stay motivated and meet some awesome like-minded people. Surround yourself with people who have the same goals or views as yourself who post about it on the daily. This way you will see other people on the same journey as you completely smashing their goals and this will make you want to as well! 

Track your progress. This is really easy to do now that everyone has a smartphone because there are so many helpful and handy apps out there that will actively help you to reach your goals. If its weight loss of muscle gain that you are striving for then My Fitness Pal is great for tracking food intake. If you want to run or cycle a little bit quicker or a little bit further then Strava is perfect for tracking your routes, times and activity levels. We have another blog called ‘Apps to Keep You On track’ which might help in this department so go check that out for some more information. 

Plan and prep consistently. You will find as you go that there are some days that are easier than others especially when it comes to health and fitness because there is temptation everywhere. However, if you plan ahead and you’re prepared for the day before all these temptations are thrown at you then you will find it’s a lot easier to dodge them. For example if you know that one week is going to involve a lot of eating out and celebratory drinks with friends then have a pack lunch the rest of the week so that you can control exactly what you’re eating when possible. The same goes for training. If you know you are going to be really busy one week then shorter workouts more often might be an idea. What you don’t want to do though is try and make up for lost workouts by pushing yourself harder and further than you should be. This will only lead to injury and frustration on your part and we don't want that. 

So that’s our tips and tricks to stay accountable on a daily basis and we hope this might be a little bit of a push for you to stop putting off whatever it is you want to achieve this year. Let us know what your thoughts are or if you have any other tips that you would like to share!

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