There can be many factors that hold you back from achieving your health and fitness goals. A lot of people will blame their lack of willpower or motivation. Here we list 10 reasons why you may be missing your targets and suggest some behaviour changes that may improve your journey towards your goals.
Reason 1: You are searching for the 'magic answer'
There really is no magic answer. No powder, pill or potion that you can buy that will do all of the hard work for you. The freedom of the internet offers you so many answers but all this does is lead to further confusion. So, if the answer can’t be found in pills and potions and the sheer volume of conflicting information on the internet just leads to further confusion, what should you consider instead?
The answer is to learn the principles! We recommend that you accept and learn that there are principles that must be applied to get results. For example, if you want to lose weight the principle in place is that you must create a caloric deficit. The method you choose to apply these principles is the one that fits your lifestyle and that you can stick to and stay consistent with for a long enough period of time to push you towards your goals.
Reason 2: You are not consistent
Consistency is the key to changing your behaviours and habits. Dieting for a few days then binging or training for a couple of weeks followed by a few weeks off just won’t cut it. So, how can you be more consistent?
Set yourself smaller more manageable goals that you are confident that you stick to regularly in order to build habits and therefore build consistency. Once these are embedded, add in further slightly more challenging targets. Below are a couple of options based on training and nutrition.
Training - Rather than trying to train 5 days a week for 2 weeks then having 3 weeks off before starting again, set a target of 3 training sessions per week. This is more manageable. Then, have an at home session that you can do with limited equipment. This will mean that if you miss the gym you can still perform the home session, allowing you to be consistent.
Nutrition - Be realistic about what you can achieve. Plan your nutrition for the week and include some of your favourite foods. Factor in meals that will leave you feeling full and satisfied then control weekend eating by planning and prepping in advance.
Reason 3: You don’t take responsibility
Things will go wrong. You will make mistakes. That’s perfectly normal and is absolutely fine as along as you accept responsibility for them.
If you are always finding other people or your circumstances to blame or you are always beating yourself up for mistakes you will not be able to make progress and will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.
Own up to your mistakes and take responsibility for them but don't punish yourself. The sooner you do the sooner you will continue to learn what to change and how best to take the next step to keep you moving forward.
Reason 4: You aren’t tracking
If you are not getting results and you are not tracking your progress you will never know where you are going wrong. If you repeatedly went overdrawn every month you would start to track your spending to stop going overdrawn. The same needs to be done with your health and fitness goals so you can either see where you are making progress or where you may be making a mistake.
Track nutrition - Either write down in a food diary or get an app like MyFitnessPal.
Track training - Get a notepad and write down the weights you use, how many sets and reps, how much time you complete or the distance you go in a time. All of these measures can be used to assess progress.
Track weight - Remember the scales are just a tracking tool.
Track measurements - Measure around chest, waist, hips, thighs and upper arms then use theses measurements over time as a progress tool.
Reason 5: You are chasing perfect
Don't allow perfect to be the enemy of good (Voltaire).
Your perfect will be different to everyone else's. Chasing perfect can be overwhelming and may stop you from getting started in the first place. Instead, chase progress.
Track the measures listed in reason 5 and ensure you have set clear goals. Then ensure that you are moving towards your goals. Make progress every day, week or month with your habits and consistency and you will achieve your goals much faster.
Reason 6: You are overwhelmed by a big goal
Sometimes your goal is so big it can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed. This can cause procrastination and prevent you moving forward and making progress with your goal.
Instead, break the goal down in to smaller targets.
Let’s say your goal was to lose 3 stone in 6 months and you haven’t been that weight for 20 years. This can be quite a scary and overwhelming goal. Also, it may be hard for you to believe that you can actually achieve this goal. So, instead break this goal down into more manageable chunks:
3 stone in 6 months
1 stone in 2 months
7 pounds per month
1.75 pounds per week
Reason 7: You have set goals based on someone else's feelings
A goal always needs to be personal to you and actually mean something to you to enable you to put the work in to achieve your goal. Don’t do it because you see others doing it or because you think it is what you should be doing because everyone else is.
If you are only training now because your GP told you to or because you are being nagged to you are less likely to put the work in needed.
Instead, ensure that the goal actually means something to you. It has to be personal and it has to strike up some emotion in you. If it does, you are more likely to achieve your goals.
Reason 8: You have set goals that are too vague
For example, 'I want to lose weight', 'I want to tone up' or 'I want to get fitter'.
All of the above are common goals but are far too vague.
Instead, your goals should be:
specific, eg. lose a stone
time bound, eg. lose a stone in two months
measurable, for instance they could be tracked using regular weigh ins
personal, they need to be relevant to you
Reason 9: You see setbacks as personal failure
Life is full of challenges particularly when we reach for a new goal. However, a challenge or something that feels tough is not a failure. Instead, see it is an opportunity to learn.
Assess your current goals and challenges. Grab a pen and paper and draw a line down the middle of the page. Write down your current challenges, the areas you feel you are finding tough or some habits you may be struggling to crack in the left hand column.
Next to them in the right hand column write what you can do to progress these challenges. This exercise should help you to develop a list of strategies for dealing with your current challenges.
Reason 10: You try to change too much at once
One of the biggest mistakes we see people make is the all or nothing approach.
Only a small percentage will ever have success with this approach. However, the majority of people need to break our habits down.
Rather than trying to go from someone who has never exercised to training 6 days per week break your goals down into smaller, more manageable. For example, start by just going to the gym and getting to know your way around. Then aim to go once a week, then twice and so on. This approach is much more sustainable long term and is easier to fit into your current lifestyle. A smaller change will mean it is less overwhelming and it will allow you to celebrate small successes as you work towards bigger goals.
If you have any questions on any of the above or if you feel this has helped you in some way feel free to give it a like and a share on Social media and feel free to reach out to us on Facebook or Instagram :
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