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5 simple ways to stay on track with your 2018 fitness goals

It’s that time of the year when we’re all feeling inspired to work towards a healthier lifestyle and set some big health goals. Here at Nouveau Wellbeing we want to make sure you give yourself the best start.

 

Here’s our 5 simple ways to stay on track with your 2018 fitness goals:

 

  1. Choose an exercise that makes you feel amazing!

 

I remember when I set my first big health goal. I felt inspired and motivated and ready to grab the New Year by the horns! However, I’d made one pretty big and often common mistake right from the start.

 

Rather than exploring which form of exercise felt good to me, I just assumed that to hit my goal I would need to go running at least 3 times a week. I’d never really loved running but I wanted to hit this goal so badly. So I got my trainers on and off I went. Before the second week was up, I was feeling demotivated and already giving up on my goal. As much as I tried, I just didn’t enjoy running and so exercise became such a chore for me. The following week I gave up.

 

The next year came around and I decided to switch my fitness goals up a little. Rather than setting a goal to loose weight or get into shape, my goal became; ‘find some form of exercise I enjoy’. Simples.

 

The next month I trialled yoga classes, Pilates, bootcamps and spinning until I finally found my love for dance classes and stretching. My relationship with exercise has never been the same. Now I don’t need to set goals around how many times I must exercise per week, I’m excited to get to class! Exercise for me now is about feeling happy and energised, I love it!

 

So, I want to challenge you this year to find an exercise you love, rather than forcing yourself to do something you don’t enjoy. This way you’re almost guaranteed to hit your health goal. What exercise makes you feel amazing?

 

We have a range of weekly classes available, check out our timetable here: https://nuvowellbeing.com/find-a-class/ 

 

  1. Your fitness schedule MUST fit around your lifestyle.

 

We see this all the time and it’s such a shame because it’s easily avoided with some careful planning. Before you commit to your new fitness schedule, we wanted to ask you a couple of questions that will set you up for success when it comes to actually showing up.

 

  1. How much time can you commit to your fitness schedule each week? (Be realistic here if right now all you can fit in is an hour on Monday morning and two hours on Thursday evening, that’s great and far much better than signing up to classes on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday if realistically you know that’s just not feasible.) Start with what you CAN do and build from there.
  2. How much time do you need to prepare? Don’t forget that, for example, you’ll need time to get changed, fill up your water bottle and drive to the venue of your class.
  3. Where/how will you workout? For example, maybe you need to be at home to look after the kids and a weekly home visit from your personal trainer would suit you well or maybe you could fit exercise into commuting to work like choosing to set off 30 minutes earlier from home so you can walk rather than drive.

 

Take your time to answer the questions above and remember, a productive 10-minute workout is better than a stressful hour of rushing around. Health is a way of living, find a fitness schedule that suits you.

 

3.Put your fitness clothes out the night before – make your intention to yourself clear

 

The night before a workout, I always encourage people to prepare their fitness outfit and equipment (maybe you use weights, a yoga mat or take a water bottle with you). The reason being, it prepares your mindset for your workout the following day and it helps makes things easier for you when it comes to actually putting your trainers on and getting out the door.

 

The key to developing strong habits around your health and fitness is to make exercise as effortless as possible for yourself. Think about what you need the night before and get it ready.

 

 

4.Pay up in advance – put your money where your mouth is

 

Changing our habits around exercise can be tough, especially if we lead a busy lifestyle. I’ve found that if I’ve found an exercise class or activity that makes me feel amazing and then I commit financially, I’m 90% more likely to turn up. I usually book all my exercise classes for 6 weeks in advance. When I’ve invested financially, I’m less likely to cancel or skip classes. In fact, I usually find when I’ve committed financially I’ll schedule my social activities and family commitments around my fitness schedule.

 

So could you pay for a group of classes at a time? If your instructor doesn’t seem to advertise this, just ask them if you could pay for a bulk of classes upfront, you’ll usually find they’ll say yes!

 

5.Partner up with a fitness buddy!

 

Exercising with a friend is a great way to hold yourself accountable, it’s also a great way to make exercise fun and sociable! Why don’t you call one of your friends right now and ask them if they want to join you once a week for a work out? Don’t be afraid to set expectations with one another and be clear on the time and place you’ll be meeting each week and the activity you’ll be doing.

 

I really believe if you’re able to put these top 5 tips into practice you’ll have a greater chance of hitting your health goals.

 

Finally, I want to remind you that if you do have a bad day and skip a session or find yourself sleeping in late rather than getting up to exercise, don’t give up on your goals there and then. Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you have to fail over and over. Be kind to yourself and enjoy your journey towards a healthier lifestyle.