You know how it goes: you plan out your goals and maybe you buy a gym pass for the New Year because you’re going to get in shape this year! But after a month or so, things slow down and you may get to the gym once a week if you’re lucky. It’s something we see in the fitness industry so often that there are terms like the “January rush”.

It’s understandable because our lives get so busy and it’s easy to let things get in the way because they are “more important at the time” and “it takes so much effort to go back out after I get home.” But I truly believe that going to the gym and sticking to your goals shouldn’t mean sacrificing anything in life; it should be adding something to our day and we should feel something is lacking if we miss a workout.

The struggle may not be in the lack of trying because it’s not like we have any trouble in the beginning. It’s after a month or so in that we start to “slack off.” So rather than focusing on why we lose motivation, we should put a greater focus on planning our goals properly. The best way to receive long lasting motivation comes from realistic goals planned out step by step that lead to a specific result. If your only goal is to get to the gym, then it’s understandable that you’d lose motivation pretty quick.

My 3 steps for planning out health and fitness goals are these:

Step 1 -Sit down and make a list. Set goals for 6 months from now and for 1 year from now.  If you’re someone who’s worried about failure, focus on making your goals achievable but still challenging. If you’re not afraid of some failure, plan out your goals in a way that you can achieve around 70% of them. Be ambitious! Your goals should be tough enough that you can’t quite get them all, but at least you’ll hit the moon if you aim for the stars.

Step 2 – Create steps that lead you to your goals. If you have the knowledge or if you’re willing to study, you can plan the steps necessary to reach your goals. If not, you can hire someone like a trainer to do that work for you.

Step 3 – Plan time 3-5 days a week where you’re completely dedicated to reaching these goals. No excuses! If work is bothering you, say that you’re in a meeting. If family life is weighing on you, just keep in mind that personal time and time focused on you is extremely important (mentally and physically). The short amount of time needed in the gym must be purposeful and focused on making progress.

I wish the best for you and your goals in 2017! Be strong and if you set your goals properly, your workouts will be REWARDING and NOT miserable.