Do you think eating healthy foods is important? Of course it is. And if I asked if you think exercise is also important for health and wellness, you would most likely respond with a yes. Understanding that nutrition AND fitness is the magic formula for living a vibrantly healthy life doesn’t automatically mean we do it! Why do we prioritize one of them? Why do we put one on the back burner and only get serious about it sometimes, such as getting winded by playing frisbee with the dog?
In my experience working with hundreds of athletes at MOEfit, the key is accountability. We’re willing to let ourselves down so many times, but when someone else is counting on us, we make it happen.
We don’t want to disappoint them, but yet we willingly disappoint ourselves all the time. We justify why we don’t stick to our nutrition plan, we make excuses for skipping the gym and we follow it up with a promise to try again tomorrow—or Monday. All along, we’re cataloging the times we didn’t show up for ourselves as failure, and over time, we begin to see ourselves as failures.
Relying on others to hold us accountable is OK—for a while. When we’re beginning though, we need help. We need encouragement and support while developing good habits. At MOEfit, we have a framework of accountability to help those wanting to get started. We send reminders, we acknowledge you every time you walk through the door, we check in, we fist bump, and we celebrate with you each time you reach a milestone.
Our community of weirdo members also helps with accountability! Your friend who is usually in class with you notices when you haven’t been there and sends you a friendly text asking how you’re doing. Yea…that actually happens.
The truth DOES hurt a little bit: No matter how hard you work to stay accountable, it still comes down to you. It’s up to you to choose every day to make progress toward your goals. We will cheer you on and help you, but if you haven’t bought in to the process, it ain’t gonna work in the long term.
How do we stop thinking we are failing and create an environment for reaching our goals?
Here are 10 tips for holding yourself accountable to your goals:
1. Engage in the community. We can help you! It’s what we do! If you don’t engage, you are missing out on some of the magic. Who wouldn’t want a group of like-minded people cheering you on all the time?
2. Use your phone to set reminders. Workouts are like appointments you can’t miss. Set alarms for when you need to start meal prepping, don’t think that you have no time and choose something unhealthy out of convenience.
3. Let the coaches when you’re planning to come to class. If you put your intentions out there, you create an expectation that you will follow through.
4. Use a printed calendar, hung in a visible spot and cross off the days you workout or stayed true to your nutrition plan. This will give you an actual visual of your progress. It’s satisfying to see your efforts adding up!
5. Share your story with friends and family on social media. There’s nothing wrong with posting and boasting!! Even if no one on social media comments or “likes”, making a claim publicly will make you more likely to keep your word.
6. Take progress pics. To see your progress, it’s cool to be able to look back at where you started. Change is subtle and gradual, when you look back to your starting point and comparing it to now, you can really see the progress you’ve made since day one.
7. Have an Accountability Buddy. If you aren’t a member here, find a friend who needs accountability, too, and make regular dates to go over your progress and set goals for the future.
8. Constantly remind yourself of your “why.” Goals are great, but if we don’t know why we want to reach it, then who cares? Ask yourself, why do you want to focus on your fitness and nutrition? How will it better your life? How will it improve how you feel? Visualize. Imagine yourself as the person you’ll be when your goals are met. Once you have a “why,” remind yourself of it daily so you internalize it and keep it close.
9. Don’t make it all or nothing. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”—and it’s true! We are on a journey, not a jaunt to the corner store. Expect ups and downs. Expect plateaus. Expect people to try to bring you down. Don’t let them. Acknowledge them, thank them for teaching you something about yourself and keep f*cking going.
10. Reward yourself for reaching micro-goals. Who doesn’t like prizes? Set micro-goals along the way to your BIG goals. Reward yourself for hitting them. For example, if someone wants to lose 50 pounds, they can give themselves a gift fat every 5 pound milestone. If nutrition is the focus, reward yourself for each solid week of staying on track. These rewards don’t have to be expensive either—be creative and treat yourself!
There are many other ways to keep yourself accountable, so find what works for you. Something that worked once might not work forever—switch things up often to stay excited and motivated about your success.
If you need help getting started on your fitness and nutrition path, contact us! We would love to set up a No-Sweat Intro with you to talk about you, your current goals, and put together a plan of action. Book one here! www.moefit.com
Inspiration provided by Sarah Neal at CrossFit816.com.