Stay Lean

Quit Sabotaging Your Fitness Goals

It takes discipline and dedication to reach your fitness goals. But between juggling work and family and dealing with those endless curveballs life throws at you, its not always easy to find time for your fitness goals. And more often than not, your gym time ends up being the sacrificial lamb that gets cut from your day. 

This doesn't mean that you should give up trying to work out altogether. Taking care of yourself isn't any less important than taking care of everyone else around you. In fact, you can't give your best to anyone if you're constantly compromising your own physical well-being.

So, stop the self-sabotage and try and squeeze in fitness to your daily routine. Here are a few accessible and affordable tips that I used, to achieve my fitness goals. You could too. 

1. Create a mini home gym

Not everyone can afford to have a home gym. And I am in no way suggesting that you should. All you need is a set of dumbbells. When I first began my weight loss journey, I did not even have dumbbells. At the time, I did not want to invest money 'cause I wasn't sure if working out would be a long term thing for me. My fitness journey began with the use of 1.5L water bottles instead dumbbells. Now, I have a few sets of (heavy and light) dumbbells and an exercise mat.

As a beginner, the most valuable tool at your disposal would be your own body weight. Do squats and lunges to work your butt and thighs; push-ups and downward-facing dogs to work your chest, shoulders, and triceps; crunches and planks to work your abs; and jumping jacks and mountain climbers etc., for cardio.

Another benefit of working out  at home is the convenience. It also saves  time and would enable you to find time for your workouts even with a busy schedule! Even if you do have access to a gym, on those lazy days that we all know too well, working out at home could be a welcome replacement.

2. Make use of fitness apps

My early stages of my fitness journey involved a lot of running. The Nike Running app kept me motivated and pushed me to compete with myself. I found myself going out for a run simply because I wanted to beat my last fastest run, longest run or get that 5 day streak etc.  Find an app that does the same for you. It could work miracles!

3. Count your calories

Some people might argue that counting calories is a hassle and time consuming. But it is extremely important at the beginning of a fitness journey. If your goal is to lose weight, your calorie intake needs to be less than the amount of calories you burn. Counting calories would enable you to keep tract of your caloric intake. It would also help make you aware of what goes into your body and aid you in clean eating.

It does not have to be perfect. Perfect is boring! 

4. Get inspiration from others like yourself

After you get back from work or before you go to sleep or when you get some free time, read about other people's workout journey or listen to their experiences. Youtube is a great place to find such inspirational videos. This would go a long way in keeping you motivated.

5. Incorporate as much activity into your daily routine as possible.

There is a reason why this tip is at the bottom of this list. So often, people think they are not strong enough to work out. You are always told to just take the stairs instead. That is a false message of lethargy that is not doing you any favors. The truth is while it is good to incorporate as much activity into your daily routine as possible, it should  NOT be an alternative for working out. You are capable of working out! You are capable of working out hard! If you are reading this and you doubt your own ability to workout believe me, you are not alone. Everyone doubts their capabilities at the beginning. I did too. Even if you find it hard (which it would be, at the beginning), keep telling yourself that you can do it. Its MIND over MATTER!