5 tips to stay focused in fitness

There's so many responsibilities that take or time that it's easy to loose focus on our fitness goals.  Here are 5 common sense tips to help you stay focused.

1. Always write down your goals. 
   You've heard the saying 'out of sight, out of mind.'  This is the same thing, just in reverse!
   Put them somewhere you can easily see them.  You've heard it a million times, but there's a reason you've heard it.  It works.
   
2. Tell people what you're trying to do.
   If you keep it to yourself, you're more likely to let yourself off the hook when things get tough.  A word to the wise - only tell people who you trust to lovingly remind you of your goals when times get tough.  
   
3. Set SMART goals.
   We talked about this in previous posts.
   
4. Prioritize.
   Weed out the things that take up your time.  Pretty simple but hard to implement unless you stick to your priorities.
   
5. Find something you love to do.
   We've talked about this a lot before.  For example, if you like sports, start playing sports.  If you hate running, don't join a running group.  Common sense!

Contact me if you need some additional help staying focused: emily@ontrackfitness.net

Find what you love

I work with all different kinds of clients with different goals, dreams, likes & dislikes.  It's important for us to work together to find exercises and activities that they enjoy.  For example, if they love being outside, we don't spend a lot of time on the treadmill.


Do you know what types of activities or forms of exercise you like?  Here are some questions to help:

1.  Do you like being outdoors?
If you enjoy the outdoors but always buy the latest infomercial piece of equipment....why?  Get outside and go for a walk or play a sport.


2.  Do you get bored easily?
If you get bored easy, try doing something like a circuit workout.  These workouts are great because you're doing different exercises for short periods of time.  No time to get bored.


3.  Are you a very social person?
If so, group fitness or exercising with friends is the way to go.


4.  Do you have a super busy schedule?
Who doesn't, but some more than others.  If you're schedule is crazy, it's still no excuse not to exercise.  Get some exercise during your day by walking the stairs at work and taking a walk break instead of a coffee break (we all should be doing this!).


Take some time to think about your likes & dislikes.  What will keep you motivated to stay active.  Now go do it!


www.ontrackfitness.net

Set SMART goals

Setting goals is an obvious good start to accomplishing a task, even in the fitness realm.

Have you heard of the SMART approach to goal setting?  To really make good, solid goals that aren't just fluffy dreams, use this approach.  Ask yourself "is the goal I set..."

Specific - Easily understood, specifically state what you want accomplished.   


Measurable - The goal must be able to be measured so you know that you've reached it.

Attainable - It must be able to be reached.  Not too easy, not too difficult.

Relevant (aka realistic) - It's got to be pertinent to your needs and abilities.

Time bound - It's got to have a deadline.

Try this as you set your next fitness goal or make sure the goals you're working toward now are SMART goals.  By the way, if you don't have fitness goals, what are you waiting for?  Go to it!


Visit our website www.ontrackfitness.net

Email me Emily@ontrackfitness.net

Fitness tools and calculators

One of the most important things we do with our clients is periodic fitness assessments.

Fitness assessments are important because it gives you a snapshot of your fitness level in each of the components of fitness (cardio, muscular, flexibility & proper body composition).

From there, it's very easy to set SMART goals (specific, measurable, realistic, timely) and work toward getting healthy and fit.

Think of it this way: if you don't know where you're at now, you don't know where you need to go.

Here is a link to the ACE Fitness website that has several wonderful tools and calculations for those of you who aren't working with a trainer.

Fitness Tools & Calculations

I encourage you to check out the website, use some of the tools to find out some info about your fitness, and then set some goals to work toward.

Enjoy, and as always, we're here if you need a little extra guidance.  
www.ontrackfitness.net  Email us

Believe in yourself

We work with a lot of beginners at OnTrack Fitness.  Beginners who take BIG leaps of faith to try something new, like a triathlon or half marathon or even just becoming an active person when they've been inactive their entire lives.  

These people are cool people.

Why?  

Picture this:  You haven't gotten on a bike in 10 years.  You've never really swam, except splashing around in a pool when you were a kid.  Then someone tells you you're going to enter into an event that you must swim (not splash), bike AND run...and it's a race.  And that sure, it's doable.

Or how about this.  Three months ago, you weren't even think about becoming a runner.  Now, you're working with a group training to run 13.1 miles.

What would you say about this?  These folks said "Yeah, ok.  Let's go for it."

These awesome people didn't let what they WERE dictate what they believed they could be.  

Most weren't sure if they could, but they went for it anyway.  Even if they didn't know all the details when they started, they listened & learned.  Even if they'd been on a loop of exercising - not exercising for years, they committed to our program anyway.


These people were just like you.  No super powers. 

My question to you:  Do you believe?  Do you believe you can do some things & not others?  Why?

You've got to start BELIEVING you can do it.  Believe you can make a change in yourself.  

Believe you can, because you know what - you can!  Stop saying 'I'm not that kind of a person' or 'I've tried it before & it didn't work' or 'I've never been athletic.'  

What's any of that got to do with it?  Set a goal, learn what you need to do to achieve it, get help if you need it and get it done.  You can do this!

Share with us your story.  We want to hear how you went for it and made a change.  

Or, if you're ready and need some help, let us know.  emily@ontrackfitness.net  

OnTrackFitness.net