How to Stay Motivated with Your Fitness Goals

In the initial days after developing a new fitness goal, the sheer momentum of excitement and novelty are often enough to keep you going. However, sustaining that workout motivation in the long term can be challenging.

Fortunately, there are some workarounds. 

 If you need help staying motivated and committed to your fitness goals, consider our top five tips below.

#1 Create Achievable Goals

Within the fitness community, there’s a widely used acronym: SMART. It stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, and it can help you craft and maintain a fitness plan.

More specifically, it involves:

• Specific – Define clear, concise goals. Instead of saying, “I want to get fit,” say, “I want to run three miles without stopping.”
• Measurable – Track your progress with quantifiable indicators. For example, record the time it takes you to run a mile or the number of push-ups you can do in a minute.
• Achievable – Set realistic goals for your exercise that challenge you but are still attainable. If you’re new to running, aiming to complete a marathon in a month is unrealistic.
• Relevant – Ensure your fitness journey goals align with your personal interests and long-term objectives. If you love swimming, set a goal to improve your lap time rather than forcing yourself to lift weights if you don’t enjoy it.
• Time-bound – Give yourself a deadline to create a sense of urgency and motivation. Instead of an open-ended goal, say, “I will run three miles without stopping within three months.”

Alternatively, if your goal is to lose weight, it’s important to maintain realistic goals to avoid feeling discouraged. Instead of aiming to lose a large amount of weight quickly, set incremental, small goals. For instance, focus on losing one to two pounds per week. And, don’t forget to celebrate your progress — no matter your fitness goal. 

#2 Support Muscle Recovery

Weeks of consistent and/or vigorous exercise habits can take a toll on your whole body. To support muscle recovery, it’s critical to prioritize your protein intake.

Protein acts as a building block for muscle repair and growth, helping your muscles recover and become stronger after workouts.

To ensure you’re getting enough protein during the day, incorporate the following foods into your meal-planning ideas:

• Lean meats, like chicken, turkey and fish
• Dairy products, like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and milk
• Plant-based proteins, like legumes, tofu and quinoa
• Protein shakes, made with whey, casein or plant-based proteins
• Protein bars, which come in a variety of flavors

Also, before and after a working out, take the time to stretch your muscles to reduce feelings of stiffness and improve your flexibility. Doing so can assist your movements and help prevent injury. 

Drinking plenty of water — both in and outside of the gym — can also help deliver essential nutrients to your muscles to support their growth and recovery. Also, consider incorporating electrolytes into your post-workout routine to help prevent muscle cramps.

#3 Maintain Your Energy Levels

After a long day of working or wrangling your kids, the energy to do a workout can be scarce. To maintain your energy levels for a successful workout, consider:

• Hydrating frequently – Water is essential for maintaining energy levels and supporting overall bodily functions. Aim to drink water consistently throughout the day (not just when you’re thirsty) to fuel your future workout.
• Eating nutritiously – Fuel your body with a balanced diet that includes complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, healthy fats and plenty of fruits and vegetables. This will provide sustained energy for your workouts.
• Prioritizing your mental health – Stress and mental fatigue can drain your energy.  Explore journaling benefits,the benefits of meditation, deep breathing exercises or hobbies you enjoy to keep your mind healthy and energized.
• Resting when you can throughout the day – Short breaks or power naps can help recharge your energy levels. Listen to your body and rest when needed to avoid burnout.

#3 Mix Up Your Routine

Doing the same workout routine every day can dwindle your exercise motivation over time. Fortunately, you can incorporate different types of exercise routines and movements to keep things interesting.

If you’re weight lifting, switch up the muscle groups you focus on daily. Mondays and Wednesdays may be reserved for upper-body workouts like chest and triceps, while Tuesdays and Thursdays could be dedicated to lower-body exercises such as squats and lunges.

Further, incorporate variety. If your fitness goal is muscle growth, weight training isn’t the only option. Group fitness classes like CrossFit can introduce you to new environments, people and movements to boost your workout motivation. If a group exercise class isn’t your style, incorporate cross-training, in which you dabble in a variety of exercises throughout the week, such as running, biking, swimming, paddle boarding, pilates or yoga. 

You can also focus on developing a single skill, such as mastering a yoga pose, improving a swimming technique or increasing your flexibility. Even small goals, like simply getting your daily steps in with a leisurely daily walk, are meaningful exercise habits to implement. 

#5 Stay Accountable

Take the time to track your progress and reflect on your fitness goals. This can involve logging your meals in a journal, using an app to track your workouts or reporting to a fitness community. Oftentimes, visualizing your progress and seeing how far you’ve come can help boost motivation.

Also, consider finding a friend who shares similar fitness goals to you. A workout buddy can add a social aspect to your workout and help you stay accountable, even when the couch and a pizza sound far more gratifying than a workout at the gym. 

If you’re unsure of how to progress your fitness routine or meet your goals, a personal trainer or nutritionist can provide expert guidance and personalized plans. They can assess your current fitness level, recommend exercises tailored to your needs and offer nutritional advice to optimize your results. Additionally, they can help you set realistic and achievable goals, ensuring you stay on track and motivated.

Stay on Track With INVIGOR8

Finding the motivation to workout can be difficult if you’re not equipped with the right tools. Fortunately, prioritizing achievable goals, muscle recovery, variety and accountability can help you stay on track.

There’s also INVIGOR8.

Our all-in-one Superfood Shake organic superfoods powder is a delicious and convenient protein-packed meal or snack option that’s also rich in essential nutrients to support muscle recovery and weight management.Explore our collection of flavors today to get started or find these meal replacement shakes in our weight loss kits with products like our burner appetite control support and our unflavored collagen peptides. 

Discover tips and tricks to support your health even further, from how to reduce sugar intake, to how to support digestion health with INVIGOR8. Shop and read up today! 

Sources:

1. University of Illinois. Make Your Exercise Goals SMART!
2. Nature. The impact of dietary protein supplementation on recovery from resistance exercise-induced muscle damage: A systematic review with meta-analysis
3. AHA. Power Up to Move More Infographic