Finish What You Started
Are you someone who likes to start a fitness program, but has a challenging time following through?
If so, you are not alone. The majority of people have a habit of starting health & fitness programs and not finishing them, even though they know they’ve joined the gym, hired the personal trainer, bought the treadmill, or bought new running sneakers.
Finishing What You Started successfully takes proper planning and thoughtful action. If you have ever embarked on a fitness program, then you’d know that every day/week comes with its own set of challenges which are not visible when you first start.
Personally, I’ve embarked on many health & fitness programs in the course of my lifetime, while pursuing my professional and personal goals. Even though this is my profession I too have many obstacles that could get in the way, but I’ve disciplined myself to successfully manage my life and complete most of my goals. Here are my 5 best tips on how to finish the health & fitness program you start:
·Budget your time to finish what you started
After you decide on a health & fitness program you should have a realistic idea of how much time is needed daily. Plan out your time by putting your workouts into a daily calendar and integrate them into your professional and personal schedule. Block out time in your calendar for each workout. 80% of my clients work out at the same time on the same day of the week. It helps us both stay consistent and follow through on what we started.
·Don’t be a perfectionist to finish what you started
How many of us keep delaying because we want to get it just right? I’m all for perfectionism and getting the best output, but if your desire for perfectionism is preventing you from getting things done, I think it’s good to challenge it.
This is what I suggest you do, give yourself the permission to fail. You read correctly. Failure is inevitable. We all forget, get too busy, or just blow off our workout. “It’s not how hard you fail, it’s how quickly you pick yourself up from failing.” Do your best and give yourself permission to fail.
·Commit to it to finish what you started
Once you start, commit to it. There have been countless occasions when my friends ask me if I want to hang out or have dinner on weekday evenings or on weekends. I often decline the invites not because I don’t want to hang out, but because I am working on my business including my site, my book, or getting a workout in. If I accepted all the invites I would fall behind on my personal timelines and I would feel terrible. If they’re true friends, they’ll understand.
Likewise, for you, ask yourself what’s more important to you. Going out to party for the weekend, eating out with friends or co-workers or to finish what you started and fit in your workout? The former might bring you some temporal gratification, but the latter is what truly gives you satisfaction. The rewards you get from doing the latter are rewards which you’ll continue to reap long afterward.
·Celebrate even the small victories to finish what you started
Sometimes we get discouraged when we don’t see the results we expected. It seems like no matter how much time you’ve spent, how much you’ve sacrificed or how often you exercised, you didn’t hit your goal. You feel let down, deflated, and lose motivation.
Here’s the thing. Everything you’ve done so far is an accomplishment! Give yourself a huge pat on the back, a big bear hug and look in the mirror and say, “I FRICKEN ROCK!” I know it sounds crazy, but it works. You’ll feel silly at first, but when you do this over and over, you’ll find it becomes enjoyable. Celebrate the process, the doing, the recovery, and the completion. Celebrate everything you can. Take opportunities to recharge and reset. When you’re ready, continue on with what you’ve been doing and keep doing it.
This and all the advice I offer only works if you work it. There are so many ways to go about this, so if at the very least let this be a reminder that you need to Finish What You Started.
If you found this blog post valuable please share what you’ve learned or got from it on Facebook, or with family or friends. Sharing is caring and care enough about yourself to create change forever.
Yours in health & fitness,
Steve
