Keeping yourself accountable. Sounds easy enough, right?! So why do so many of us totally suck at sticking to certain things?? We seem to find it pretty easy to binge watch the entire season of Queer Eye In Japan (am I right, ladies….), yet we can’t find 30 minutes to smash a workout 4-5 days a week!!! What’s up with that?!
Well, the reality is - new routines are hard to get into. And activities that require effort, energy and concentration are usually the last thing we want to do at 5pm after a long work day. BUT HERE’S THE THING - THAT’S WHY IT’S SO FREAKING IMPORTANT. No, you might not alwaysssss feel like sweating it out in your living room, but you WILL feel better, you will feel accomplished and it’s important that you don’t give into your couch cravings and prove to yourself that you CAN do this. So, with that being said - here are 5 simple and effective ways to keep yourself accountable so you don’t fall off track.
Tip #1 - Make a commitment to something that has value to you
Ever thought to yourself “I really should go to that class.. I did pay $20 dollars.” or “These shoes cost me $70 bucks! I’ll need to wear them to get my money’s worth.” The same thing applies when you want to start working on yourself. If you put value into yourself, you’re putting value into your goals. NO-ONE likes wasting money, so that value should be enough of a motivator to get your butt in gear so you don’t let yourself down. Something like a Flat Tummy App membership is a great place to start, but other motivators could be something as simple as buying yourself a new sports bra, yoga matt or a new water bottle and notepad - literally ANYTHING that will serve as a constant reminder that you made a commitment to yourself and it’s not meant to go to waste.
Tip #2 - Get someone else involved
Got a #1 hype girl who never lets you down? That’s who you need here. Telling someone else your goals is a great way to keep yourself accountable. When you tell someone else your goals out load, it makes it real and it makes it a lot harder to justify giving up; because while you’re doing this for you, it’s not easy seeing your friends give up on their goals - so don’t be that friend! Better yet, you could even convince your friend to start your fitness / lifestyle journey with you so you can keep each other accountable. If one of you isn’t feeling it - you can always count on the other one to pull you through.
Tip #3 - Put your goals in writing
It’s one thing to think something, it’s another thing to actually see it. Writing down your goals, whether it’s on a white board in your kitchen, your notepad that you use every day, or even as a clock alarm in your phone will definitely help keep you on track. Having a constant reminder of what you’re trying to achieve looking back at you every day should help guide some of the decisions in your day.
Tip #4 - Get into a routine
This is super important. Routines are fundamental to helping you achieve your goals because after a while, a routine becomes a habit. And healthy habits are FREAKING AWESOME. But to build habits, you need to be consistent and for that, you need to PLAN. Working out, eating healthy - those sorts of things don’t always just “happen”. You have to make time for them and you have to plan accordingly. Take a second to look at your week critically and seriously evaluate when you're going to have time to do the things you want to do. If you finish your day early in the afternoon then YAS, workout at 4:30pm every day is awesome. But if you don't get home till 6:30pm and you want to lounge around and have some snacks, then shifting your day to account for a morning workout might be more beneficial.
Tip #5 - Surround yourself with positive influencers
Surrounding yourself with positive influences is literally the “K” in “knowledge.” It’s silent, but essential - and without it, you don’t have what you need to succeed. Not having positive influencers in your life when you’re trying to make a vital change, is literally a one way street to failure in a lot of cases. It doesn’t really matter exactly WHERE you get your positive vibes from - as long as they come from somewhere. There’s no need to have people in your life who think exercising is stupid, or you shouldn’t take the time to prepare a healthy meal because take-out is more delicious anyway - these sorts of thoughts are not helpful for you. Sure, not everyone is going to fit this mould - but whether it’s family, friends, partners, people you follow on Instagram or podcasts you listen to, the more good you surround yourself with, the less bogged down you’ll feel.
Long story short, babe - you need to do whatever you can to set yourself up for success. These tips might seem simple, but when you actually DO them they work. No one said getting back on track and getting results was going to be super easy, but hey - what’s the fun in that?! :) There’s nothing wrong with doing little things along the way to help yourself out. And once you’re into a good rhythm, there will be no stopping you!
