When you set fitness goals for yourself, you don’t want any hurdles getting in your way. You should use every tactic and resource at your disposal to enable you to be as successful as possible. Doing so will make you unstoppable when pursuing your health objectives.
From human guidance to cutting-edge technology, there is so much available to you when you’re focusing on fitness. Here are four tips to help you achieve your exercise and nutrition goals.
1. Use Apps to Your Advantage
You know what they say — whatever you want to accomplish, there’s an app for that. This is certainly the case in the health and wellness space. From the gym to the kitchen, apps can facilitate every aspect of your fitness quest.
If you’re looking for an app to assist you in improving your diet, consider tracking what you eat. Instead of tracking calories, though, consider a macro tracking app. When monitoring macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins), you’ll still know your caloric intake, but you’ll gain a more in-depth understanding of how your nutrient intake impacts your body. You’ll see whether you’re consuming enough protein to repair tissue and build muscle. You’ll know when you need more carbs to provide you with energy or fats to aid in hormone production, cell growth, and absorption of vitamins.
The best macro tracking app options available will use algorithms to help you achieve your unique fitness goals. Those could include building muscle, shedding pounds, or boosting your metabolism. App features may also include personalized recommendations, the ability to record body measurements and take progress photos, and more.
2. Make Your Goals Specific
You’re probably familiar with the popular SMART goal-setting framework, which enables you to establish specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound objectives. By setting SMART fitness goals, you’ll be putting serious thought and consideration into your fitness aspirations. You’ll know exactly what you want to achieve and by when.
As with anything you hope to accomplish, you want to actually realize your fitness intentions. This is where the SMART approach comes into play. You’re more likely to reach a goal if it’s specific and you have a plan. For example, “I want to lose weight” is too broad and hard to put into action. “I want to lose 15 pounds in three months” is specific; it has a deadline, and it’s measurable.
You can make a goal more attainable and relevant by outlining how you intend to achieve it and why you want to. For example, if you want to lose 15 pounds in three months, how can you realistically pull that off? Exercising every day of the week may be a stretch. However, four to five workouts per week might be attainable.
Also, make sure that you understand your “why” for setting a fitness goal. Do you want to improve your overall health? Or are you more concerned about how you fit into your clothes? Your why might affect how you structure your objectives, so it’s always an important factor to consider.
3. Try Online Coaching
During your fitness journey, you may realize that you could benefit from some guidance and having someone to whom you’re accountable. This is where a fitness coach can be a huge help. However, the time and money commitment required to engage a personal trainer may be more than you bargained for.
If you want guidance and professional fitness advice but you’re not ready to commit to in-person training, consider online coaching. Online coaches can offer the flexibility and customization you need to develop a fitness routine that is unique to you. Your online coaching program can last for a few weeks or for the foreseeable future. Many coaches will tailor routines specifically to you based on your workout preferences, such as at home versus in a gym.
To further your health aims, many online fitness coaches will also provide meal plans and macro guidance. You’ll have everything you need upfront to pursue your objectives, and your coach will check in with you to see how you’re progressing. It’s the perfect solution if you have a busy, on-the-go lifestyle but still have big fitness goals.
4. Establish a Routine
Lastly, make sure that you establish a routine when in pursuit of any sort of fitness aspiration. If you don’t have one, you’re more likely to fall off the exercise and nutrition wagon. Routines become habits, and when something is a habit, it feels like second nature. You want healthy meals, regular workouts, and other self-care activities to fit right into your everyday life.
While working toward your wellness aims, identifying ways to stick to a schedule and establish a routine is important. One easy tactic for doing this is to use a digital calendar/planner and keep it updated. Determine when you want to work out, be it in the morning, at your lunch break, or in the evening. Then, schedule your workouts for the coming weeks. Your digital reminders will give you the nudges you need when you need them.
Your workout schedule should be based on what works best given your other time commitments and when your energy levels are highest. You can also plan meals in advance to ensure that you stay on track with your nutrition objectives. Important events should also have scheduled reminders attached. For example, if you have a check-in with your virtual coach, you can set a reminder to prepare the day before.
Making lifestyle changes and truly committing to your health can be one of the most challenging things you ever do. But sometimes, all it takes is the right tools and tactics to propel you in the right direction. With so many great resources available, it would almost be foolish not to take advantage of them. When you’re well-equipped to attack your fitness goals with confidence, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.
