7 Step Guide to Sticking to Your 2023 Fitness Goals
As we say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023 it’s that time of year when so many of us start throwing out fitness new year’s resolutions like confetti and hoping at least one of them sticks. Then, inevitably, busy schedules, urgent deadlines, and never-ending to-do lists get in the way.
And you know what we have to say to that? Resolutions suck.
Instead of making a fitness resolution you’ll forget about by February, it’s time to do things differently this year. New year, new approach. You need a better plan, and lucky for you, we’ve got one.
Although we can’t make your to-do list any shorter, we’ve mapped out a step-by-step guide to help you stay on track. Follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to making this year different from the rest as you stick to a routine and crush your fitness goals.
7 Step Guide to Crushing your 2023 Fitness Goals:
- Set a SMART goal
- Be mindful of your “why”
- Outline a game plan
- Add accountability
- Keep track of your progress
- Adjust as needed
- Celebrate your wins
Step 1: Set a SMART goal
Most new year’s resolutions fail because they weren’t good goals to begin with. Something like “I want to get stronger” is impossible to measure and complete. With a goal like this one, you’re working hard for something that continues to be out of reach.
That’s why step one of accomplishing any fitness goal is spending some time upfront making it SMART:
- Specific: Explicit about exactly what you want to achieve.
- Measurable: You can track your progress.
- Achievable: It’s realistic and attainable for you.
- Relevant: It makes sense to work towards right now and is something you care about.
- Time-bound: It has a deadline.
The more targeted the goal, the higher the likelihood you’ll actually stick with it.
Step 2: Be mindful of your “why”
This step is easy to skip but it’s one of the most important parts of goal-setting. Being mindful of your “why” is what’s going to get you out of bed early in the morning and into the ring for another workout.
Ask yourself:
- Why is this goal important to me?
- What will happen if I achieve this goal?
- What will happen if I don’t?
If your SMART goal is completing a full 30-minute boxing workout without stopping and your deadline is the end of the month, this goal is about more than just the workout. It’s about the confidence you’ll feel knowing how powerful and capable you are. It’s about looking in the mirror and being proud of your strength.
This “why” is what you’re working for (and what you’re going to remind yourself of when things get tough). Being clear on your “why” is what’s going to get you across the finish line. So go ahead and tell yourself why you’re going to achieve this. Write it down. Speak it out loud. Tell a friend. Do whatever you need to do to commit to this goal and see it to action.
Step 3: Outline a game plan
Before you dive headfirst into a fitness routine it’s important you understand exactly what you’re hoping to achieve and how you’re going to get there. Start by breaking up your SMART goal into smaller, more digestible chunks.
For example, if your goal is to lose 30 pounds by the summer start outlining what that looks like week by week. Set smaller weekly weight loss targets and outline how you plan on achieving them.
Your week one goal could be to stock up on healthy foods, find an app to track what you eat, and schedule 3-4 days of working out. Map out each week like this, with milestones you want to achieve along the way. By outlining a step-by-step path to success your SMART goal goes from overwhelming to achievable.
Step 4: Add accountability
Now that you have your goals and a game plan to get you there it’s time to build in ways to help hold yourself accountable and stay motivated to work towards those goals.
Here are a few ideas for building in accountability:
- Tell a friend: Share your fitness plans with friends or family members who can help hold you accountable along the way. Better yet, maybe they’ll even join you.
- Schedule the time: Put dedicated time on your calendar to achieve your fitness goals. Map out what you need to do and when. Then hold that time sacred when the reminder pops up.
- Join a fitness challenge: Sometimes a little bit of competition can light the fire beneath you. Make sure to join our Litesport Facebook group where we’ll announce our latest fitness challenges. You can also compete against friends and family right in the app using your real-time results.
- Write it down: If you’re more of a visual person having a visible reminder of what you’re working towards could be the push you need to stick with it.
- Build a community: It’s a lot easier to tackle your goals as a part of a community than on your own. Lean on our Litesport Facebook community and our best-in-class Trainers for support, motivation, and guidance along the way.
Step 5: Keep track of your progress
There’s no sense in setting a goal if you’re not going to keep track of how it’s going. Tracking your progress not only lets you know when you’ve achieved your goal, but also keeps you motivated. Knowing you’re close to hitting a milestone could be that push you need to get back in the ring for another sweat-inducing workout.
And with the Litesport mobile app, it’s easier than ever to keep track of your workout progress. In your profile you can monitor your real-time results including:
- Total calories burned
- Activities completed
- Total punches
- Good hits
- Average force
- Total active time across a 7-, 30-, or 90-day period
Get in the habit of checking your Performance Trends regularly so you have a visual reminder of where you left off, what you need to work on, and what progress you’ve made.
Step 6: Adjust as needed
Another benefit of regularly checking in on your progress is adjusting your goals or milestones as needed so you can stay on track. If things aren’t going according to plan, instead of quitting or considering your outcome a failure, ask yourself why it’s not working and adjust accordingly to aim for success.
Even when using the SMART framework sometimes the goals we set for ourselves end up being unrealistic or something comes up that forces us to shift gears. This isn’t failure, this is life. It’s important to be flexible and patient with the goals you set for yourself. And by spotting this resistance early on, it’ll be easier to adjust now rather than feeling defeated later.
Step 7: Celebrate your wins
We’re not saying that sticking to your goals is going to be easy. You’re going to mess up, miss a milestone, or skip a workout. You might even feel like you’re going backward instead of forward at some points. But how you respond to your missteps and successes is going to determine whether or not you stick to your fitness routine.
This is why it’s important to celebrate your wins along the way and continue to remind yourself of why fitness is so important to you.
Remember that at the end of the day, you are logging hours of sweaty workouts in the ring to improve your health and/or happiness. Celebrate the fact that you’re prioritizing yourself, even if the changes feel small or insignificant.
The Litesport community is here to support you as you make progress towards your goals. Join our Litesport Facebook group today to get access to accountability coaching, boxing form basics, fitness challenges, motivational tips, and more. Together we can crush our 2023 fitness goals!