It’s July, which means that you have made it past the halfway mark of 2022. You might have originally set some lofty goals for improving your health and fitness. Take a minute and reflect on the year so far. Have you nailed it? Were you partially successful? Where did you fail?
By reflecting on how far you have come, you can get back on track, celebrate the successes you have had, and re-establish the resolutions you still have time to achieve. The things you should consider are:
What goals did you start with?
Remind yourself why you chose certain goals. Was your goal to train for a specific look? Or was it to improve fitness or strength or be able to enter a competition? Remembering why you chose an activity and returning to the enjoyment can help restore your focus.
Did you set short or long-term goals?
If you set a goal to be able to run a marathon without short-term achievements, you may have set yourself up for failure. Setting smaller targets keeps you feeling optimistic and makes the journey to your long-term goal feel less monumental.
Are your plans sustainable?
Remember the acronym SMART? Review your goals and do a double-check, comparing them to SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely). Maybe you didn’t provide yourself with measurable goals. It’s not too late to make revisions; there is no need to simply give up.
How can you overcome obstacles?
If you look back and see that there have been difficult circumstances which are preventing you from maintaining your routine, note ways you can avoid them (or methods to quash them). Perhaps you need to modify your exercise routine to schedule a day of rest. Or opt for a shorter workout on days when your schedule is busier.
Finish the year strong
Enlist a friend who may be in the same boat as you. There is no need to be embarrassed that you haven’t come as close to reaching your goals as you’d planned. You are only human and because of this, that human connection can really increase your odds of achieving goals. Either work out together, share your exercise experiences, or simply be accountable to each other.
Check up, but don’t quit
So, sit down and review your resolutions. Hopefully you recorded them so you can really look at what you had in mind in January. Look for ways to reward yourself for achievements, understand how you can achieve your goals, and revise those which were not truly achievable. Remember to be kind to yourself.
