You Hit Your Goal . . . Now What?

 Congratulations you did it!!

You hit your goal and now you’re asking “How do I stay here?”

It doesn’t matter if your goal was centered around weight loss, building muscle, or ditching those limiting beliefs by taking on new challenges >>> maintaining that progress can be hard, but I’ve got a few tips to help you stay the course for long term success: 

• Keep Your Why Close To Your Heart! Whether it’s being able to play with your grandkids, reduce your risk for heart disease, or feel more comfortable and confident in your favorite outfit, that why can be a huge motivator, so keep it close to your heart. I encourage my clients to post it somewhere like their weight room, on the bathroom mirror, as their phone wallpaper. That reminder will give you the extra push you need to stick to those pre-established healthy behaviors when life throws you a curveball.
• Habits > Diets. Focusing on living a sustainable healthy lifestyle vs. being tempted to try every new diet you see on social media. Focus on habits that include a plant rich diet, mindful eating, movement that encourages you to be less sedentary throughout the day, and managing blood sugar levels by pairing carbohydrates with protein or fat.
• Continue to Move it!! Continue to move your body. Have your daily scheduled workout as one form of movement as well as daily intentional movement (ie look for ways to increase your daily step count). Small little habits like parking far and walking, opting for a walking break at lunch, taking the stairs >> more movement less sitting!
• Maintain that Muscle. Keep strength training as part of your weekly routine to help maintain muscle mass and bone health (both essential for a high quality life as we age). Added bonus - muscle requires more fuel than fat, meaning you are burning more calories throughout the day when you have muscles, firing up your metabolism!!
• Continue to Check In With Yourself. It’s important we do a little self-inventory every few weeks. Check to make sure those healthy habits you created are being utilized. Activity logs and food logs are great tools for self-inventory.
• Have Accountability. Having a strong support system (friends, family, workout buddies, a coach or trainer) can make eating healthy and getting those workouts done more enjoyable and create consistency. Finding a group of health focused like minded individuals (online or in person) can help keep you motivated to stick with it for the long haul. Support from a health and fitness professional can also increase your success by helping you create a plan and address obstacles you may run into.
• Anticipate Setbacks. Setbacks are normal. The best thing is to have a plan so that a setback doesn’t turn into a major crisis. Address obstacles that may get in your way (think things that require time, money, and energy like work, stress, travel, illness . . . ) and brainstorm solutions in advance. Rather than feeling guilty for falling off the wagon, learn from it, and move on.

There’s no magic pill when it comes to long term success.  The best thing you can do is to continue to lean into those healthy lifestyle habits you created during the process.  Remember, there is NO finish line - these are just simply daily habits you do over and over with no expiration date.   

Looking for a little extra accountability? Let’s set up a time to chat and see how we can work together to keep you going strong long term!