Top 7 Tips for Fitness and Nutrition Success
One of the top questions I get almost daily is how to stay motivated and on track long term with fitness. People often start challenges or programs and never complete them or they finish and just go back to their previous habits once it's over. So what's the secret to long term success? Well, I always say that motivation dies and discipline must take it's place. This one of my biggest mottos but there are also a few tips that have helped me along the way so I am sharing my learnings with you!
Here they are my top 7 tips for long term fitness and nutrition success:
1.) Find a fitness activity that is enjoyable for you! Yes that’s right you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing because guess what, that might not be your thing. I know for me that if you told me running was the only way to meet my fitness goals I would be discouraged immediately because I dislike running. Luckily for us there are hundreds of options out there and for most people moving, burning calories and staying active is key. Now don’t get me wrong if you have very specific body composition and physique goals then weight lifting will be your best option but if you are just looking to stay healthy and active then find the activity you love and do it 3-5 times a week!
2.) Set yourself up for success. I feel like a broken record with this one but it’s truly the most important piece of advice I can give you. What this means is schedule your workouts and include travel time, schedule time to meal prep, take meats out to defrost in advance, order your groceries on InstaCart so there’s no excuse about having to stop at the store, book hotels with gyms, always keep a gym bag packed in your car, carry a water bottle with you everywhere, set your alarm 10 minutes earlier so you can pack your lunch. Do you get where I’m going with this? BE PREPARED or prepare to fail it’s really simple. I set reminders on my phone all the time for these things like ding ding “Katelyn take the chicken out of the freezer on your way out” or ding ding “Katelyn remember to order almond milk”. Taking a few moments to set yourself up for success will truly make or break your success. If you are prepared no excuse can get in your way.
3.) Start tracking your food. And track honestly. That’s right a food journal or an app like MyFitnessPal will really be eye opening to you and will help you identify eating patterns and where your gaps might be. Most of my clients come to me eating too much carbs and fat and not enough protein if you aren’t tracking your food this would be hard to identify. In addition to just tracking your food I want to note that honestly tracking is just as important. Under reporting on your food diary can lead to over eating 200-600 extra calories per day and that really adds up when fat loss is the goal. My recommendation is to use MyFitnessPal and track ALL of your food for a week and see what you find out.
4.) SUPPORT! Find a workout buddy, a fitness community or online group to support you. Like most things in life you can’t do this alone so find the support that you need to help keep you accountable and push you when you need that extra push. Also, speaking of accountability that part is key to long term success. Once you make a plan for your fitness goals tell everyone around you about them and keep telling them so that they understand why you start making different food choices or start skipping happy hour for the gym. At first they will question you as to why but after a few months they will start to question how you did it, TRUST ME!
5.) Continue to set goals. Humans are goal oriented therefore setting a goal will help in keeping you motivated. Remember fitness is a journey not a destination. I recently got asked if I still work on increasing the weight I lift in the gym and I almost chuckled a little to myself because the answer is OF COURSE I DO! I am constantly evaluating my strength and setting new goals for myself (I'm currently working towards my 500lbs hip thrust!) Setting these goals has helped me to feel accomplished over the years and has given me little wins to celebrate. Don't forget not all goals have to be huge weight lifting goals start small like running a straight mile without stopping or bringing lunch to work everyday for a month.
6.) Get a really good coach. Yes this might sound like a big investment but the best investment you can make is on yourself and your health. There are lots of great options for coaching there are personal trainers who can push you to hit your goals in the gym, there are online coaches who can write programs for you and there are nutrition coaches who can guide you with proper personalized nutrition for you and your body. What's important is that you find the right coach for you, someone who you identify with and someone who you like. (You can always check out my personal training or nutrition coaching.)
7.) Identify your why. This one is the most important. And this one might take some deep self reflection but it needs to be part of your long term success plan. What is your why? For me mine was about self love, feeling confident in my own skin and setting a good example for my children. Your why should be about more than just “loosing weight” yes that’s an added benefit but it won’t keep you motivated for very long. You need to find the thing that will keep you pushing through the holiday months or get you up at 5am during the week. Maybe it’s your overall health or because heart disease runs in your family or maybe you’ve always wanted to run a 6 minute mile or squat 200lbs. Find your why and think about it everyday so that you can keep pushing towards your why.
I hope you found a useful tip in reading this that will help you on your journey. Always remember that progress isn't linear and that you will have good days and bad ones, it's life and we are human. Consistency is key and with a little discipline and these tips you will be on your way to long term fitness and nutrition success.