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10 Ways to Hold Yourself Accountable



If I asked you if eating healthy foods was important, you would say   Of course,   right?

And if I asked whether exercise is key for health and wellness, you would most likely

respond with a yes. So if we know that nutrition plus fitness is the magic formula for living a

vibrantly healthy life, why don't we do it? Why do we prioritize one over the other? Why do

we put one on the back burner and only get serious about it when we ve been slapped in

the face by a wake-up call, such as getting winded by one flight of stairs or a high blood

pressure reading?

 

In my experience working with hundreds of individuals at Beyond Fitness, the key is

accountability. We re often willing to let ourselves down time after time, but when

someone else is counting on us, we show up for them.

 

We show up for others because we don't want to disappoint them, yet we willingly

disappoint ourselves over and over. We justify why we can't follow through on our nutrition

plan, we make excuses for why we have to skip the gym today and we follow it up with a

promise to try again tomorrow—or better yet, to start fresh on Monday. Meanwhile, we

subconsciously catalog every time we didn't show up for ourselves as just another failure,

and over time, we begin to see ourselves as incapable, inept, and weak-minded.

 

Relying on others to hold us accountable is OK—in the short term. When we’ re just

getting started, we need that assistance. We need that encouragement and support while

we develop good habits. At Beyond Fitness, we have a framework of accountability to help

those wanting to get started with semi-private personal training. We send reminders, we

check-in, we acknowledge you every time you walk through the door, we high-five, we

follow up and we celebrate with you each time you reach a milestone.

 

Now here s where the truth hurts a little bit: No matter how much work happens in the

background to keep you accountable, it ultimately comes down to you. It s up to you to

consciously choose every day to make progress toward your goals. We will always cheer

you on and help you, but if you haven  t bought into the process, it won't work in the long

term.

 

So how do we stop letting ourselves down and create a safety net for reaching our goals?

 

Here are 10 tips for holding yourself accountable to your goals:

 

1. Engage in the community. We want to help you! It is our business! If you don't engage,

you are missing out on a big piece of the magic. Who wouldn't want a group of like-minded

people cheering you on every step of the way?

 

2. Set reminders on your phone. Schedule your workouts like appointments you can't miss.

Set an alarm for when you need to start prepping your healthy meal so that you don't look

at the clock, realize you have no time, and reach for something unhealthy out of

convenience.

 

3. Tell a coach when you  re planning to come to class. By putting your intentions out

there, you have created an expectation that you will want to follow through on.

 

4. Print off a calendar, hang it in a visible spot, and cross off the days you hit the gym or

stay true to your nutrition plan so that you can visually see all the marks of your success. It’ s satisfying to see your efforts adding up and will reinforce your intentions to keep going!

 

5. Share your story on social media or another public forum. There s something to be

said for putting it all out there! Even if no one on social media follows up with you on your

progress, making a claim publicly will make you more likely to keep your word.

 

6. Take progress pics. To see our progress, we have to remember where we started. We

get used to how we currently look because change is subtle and gradual. By looking back

to our starting point and comparing it to where we are now, we can take stock of the

progress we have made since day one.

 

7. Set quarterly goal-setting meetings with an accountability buddy. If you are a client at

Beyond Fitness, we want to schedule these meetings with you every quarter, so reach out

to get yours on the calendar! Whether you're in our semi-private personal training program

or another, having these meetings is a key part of staying on track. If you aren't a member

here, find a friend who needs accountability, too, and make quarterly dates to review your

progress and set goals for the future.

 

8. Constantly remind yourself of your "why." A goal is great, but if we don't know why we

want to reach it, it doesn't mean much. Ask yourself why you want to focus on your fitness

and nutrition. How will it impact your life? How will it make you feel? It doesn't hurt to do

some visualization either. Mentally imagine yourself as the person you see yourself as if

your goals are met. Once you have a solid "why," remind yourself of it daily so that you

internalize it and keep it close to your heart.

 

9. Don't make it all or nothing. "Rome wasn't built in a day”—we all know that saying, and

it s true! We are on a journey, not a quick trip to the supermarket. There will be ups and

downs. There will be plateaus. There will be naysayers and stress and self-doubt. Don't let

those things knock you off your path. Acknowledge them, thank them for teaching you

something about yourself and then continue to make forward progress.

 

10. Reward yourself for reaching micro-goals. Everyone likes a prize, right? Set micro-

goals along the path to your BIG goals and reward yourself for hitting those milestones

along the way. An example is if someone wants to lose 30 pounds, they can give

themselves a little gift for every five-pound loss. Someone who wants to focus on nutrition

can reward themselves for each solid week of staying on track or keeping their eating out

to below an acceptable minimum for the week. These rewards don't have to cost money,

either—get creative with things you enjoy and treat yourself!

There are many other ways to keep yourself accountable, so find what works for you.

Something that worked once might not work forever—switch things up often to stay excited

and motivated about your success.

 

If you need help getting started on your health and wellness path or want to know more

about our  semi-private training program, feel free to contact us! We would love to set up a

No-Sweat Intro with you where we talk about you, your current lifestyle, and your goals,

and help you make a plan of action. Book one here!

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