A Step-By-Step Guide to Get Your Fitness Routine Back on Track

It’s mid-August as I’m writing this post, and everyone is thinking about finishing up with summer vacations and activities and heading back to school.  This is also the time that many people get back to their health and fitness routine that may have gotten lost over the summer.  Maybe that’s true for you, too. 

It’s not uncommon to lose sight of the goals that you set for yourself back in January.  I’m sure you had the best intentions, and you made those goals for a reason.  But we all know how life can get in the way, derailing our plans. 

Today we have a step-by-step process for you to help get back on track so you can have a strong and successful finish to 2015.  It’s not too late to meet your goals (or set some new ones) and come up with a plan to get there. 

We have created a free "Back-on-Track" worksheet that will guide you in this process.  You can download the worksheet here.

OK, now let’s get started.

1.  Block off some time to go through these steps.  Spend 45 minutes at your kitchen table, local coffee shop, or desk.  Make sure that you turn off email, your phone ringer, and anything else that might get in the way.  This won’t take long, but it will be much more effective if you’re focused.

2. Review your current goals.  If you wrote down goals for 2015 back in January (we hope that you did) take those out and review them.  Where are you in the process?  Have you accomplished any of your goals already this year?  If so, congratulations!  When you look at the ones that are left, do they all have the same emotional appeal as before?  What has kept you from reaching these goals? Has your life changed in such a way that the goal isn’t possible to accomplish?  Are there things that you tried that didn’t really work?  Take some time to evaluate what you’ve done so far, where you are in the process now, and what has gotten in the way.

3.  What is important now?  Take some time to do a mini-brain dump.  What do you want to accomplish in the next 4-6 months?  In terms of health and fitness, think about exercise, healthy eating, your health routine, managing stress, and having a healthy community around you.  These are the five big areas that will help you build a healthy lifestyle.  But the actual goals should be specific to you within these areas.  Consider these possibilities:

Exercise

• Run a 5 K
• Join a yoga class
• Add a 5 mile bike ride to weekend activities
• Wear a pedometer and shoot for 10,000 steps everyday
• Find a personal trainer
• Start a resistance training program

Healthy Eating

• Log my food
• Learn to cook at home
• Lose 20 pounds
• Remake my go-to recipes to create healthier versions
• Carry my lunch to work
• Educate myself on nutrition

Your Health Routine

• Schedule and go to my annual doctor’s visit
• Schedule routine screenings that my doctor recommends
• Visit the dentist
• Create my personal health record
• Review my health insurance guidelines

Manage stress

• Exercise regularly for stress management
• Learn to meditate and do it regularly
• Make a music playlist of songs that will de-stress
• Schedule a massage
• Learn quick, in-the-moment techniques to decompress throughout the day
• Schedule an appointment with a therapist
• Get more organized

Build community

• Make time for family or friends on a regular basis.
• Learn to entertain at home.
• Join a community group (such as a club, church, sports league, etc.)
• Join a mastermind group for a particular area of work or interest.
• Attend conferences or events that specialize in specific interests.
• Strategically use social media for keeping in touch with friends and family.

These are just a few ideas of ways that you can re-vamp your health goals to move yourself in the right direction.  Think of the things that would make the most impact on your life right now, and focus on those.  Write them down, regardless of whether they seem realistic to you or not.  If it’s something that you think is important, it should be on this list. 

4.  Prioritize.  OK, now that you have the list of things that you want to be part of your regular health and fitness routine, pick 2 or 3 – no more than that.  These are the things that resonate with you most – you know that it’s time to take action on them.  Perhaps they are things that you started, and then stopped for some reason.  Or it might be something completely new.  They might be all in one category, or they might be spread over 2 or 3.  It doesn’t matter.  Just choose those 2 or 3 items that you think you can commit to over the next few months.

5.  Do a little tweaking.  Rewrite these 2 or 3 items as S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals. This is where you get real about what you plan to do.  Here are examples (both good and bad) of what I mean.

Specific

• Bad:  I will exercise more.
• Good:  I will exercise from 7-8:30 AM 5 days a week.

Measurable

• Bad:  I will eat more green vegetables.
• Good:  I will eat at least 1 green vegetable daily and learn 3 new green veggie cooking techniques.

Actionable

• Bad:  I want to be a better friend.
• Good:  I will call my friend every Sunday night and chat for at least 20 minutes.

Realistic

• Bad:  I want to qualify for the Olympic boxing team.
• Good:  I will sign up for classes at my local boxing gym.

Time Bound

• Bad: I want to lose weight.
• Good:  I will lose 30 pounds by December 31.

Exciting

• Bad:  I will attend spin class (although I hate bike riding and class exercise.)
• Good:  I will train on my bicycle so I can take a biking trip with my family.

Relevant

• Bad:  I will go to the gym 6 days a week for 2 hours (even though I have 3 small children under the age of 6 at home.)
• Good:  I will get in my exercise by doing exercise videos 5 mornings a week before my children wake up.

 I think you get the idea.  Putting your goals in this format will help you  know when you are achieving them.  You are putting deadlines and limits that will fuel your actions as you move forward. 

6.  Schedule the next step.  Sometimes people don't accomplish their goals because they get caught up in elaborate planning.  Everything looks great on paper, but nothing ever happens.  

The best way to move forward is to just figure out the next step.  Do you need to call a trainer?  Make a doctor's appointment?  Shop for veggies?  Whatever gets the ball rolling is what you need to focus on.  Take out your calendar and give yourself a deadline.  The momentum from starting can help carry you through.  

7.  Define your “why.”  Look at your S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals that you have outlined for the rest of the year.  What are your motivations?  What will keep you on track when you want to stop?  Maybe you want to be healthy for your children or your grandchildren.  Maybe you want to look your best to improve your career.  Maybe you want to feel your best as you age.  If you are clear on your motivation for wanting something, it’s easier to navigate the “messy middle”.  Get clear about your motivations and achieving your goals will be much easier.

It’s not too late to get back on track!  We know that you can do it!  We also know that it’s sometimes easier to accomplish something that is important to you by having an accountability partner, coach, or teacher.  If you want the fastest, easiest path to reach your health and fitness goals, call us here at X Factor.  Our personal training programs and our health coaching sessions might be the perfect way for you to finish the year strong.

                           Matt Trudo - 713.572.7262  or  Carol Nave - 713.443.6922

Question:  What is the most important thing that you still want to accomplish this year?