5 Things People Who Are Reaching Their Fitness Goals Aren’t Telling You
If you’ve ever heard me speak about social media at all, you know that I am quick to mention the “highlight reel” effect, i.e., everyone posts their triumphs and you only see the good stuff about their lives. Social media is chock full of fitness content shared by conventionally fit people who make getting strong and looking sexy seem like it should be an effortless endeavor anyone can do (and should do at the beach). In all honesty as a fitness professional working in the industry for 10 years, constantly struggling to balance the expectations of my clients who were living in the real world and trying my best to squeeze my own workouts in, I spent a long time avoiding joining the fitness Instagram space. But when I did a little digging, I found some genuine honesty, some individuals, trainers and clients alike, who were willing to share all the awesome progress they were making while being honest about how hard it is to get there.
If you are like so many people who start the year with ambitious fitness goals and find yourself feeling defeated by this time, you might believe it is simply never going to happen to you. Maybe you spend time scrolling endless videos of women effortlessly doing push-ups and pull-ups and thinking that they must have been born with some innate strength that you can’t access. Or maybe you see someone post workout video after workout video and wonder why you have had such a hard time creating a consistent schedule. The truth is #fitnessmotivation is great and all but oftentimes some of the most motivating things to hear are the real-life details that go into what looks so easy on the internet.
It’s true some people are very successful at reaching their fitness goals and make it look very easy but it is because of the 5 things they have in common (and aren’t telling you).
They didn’t get there overnight.
No one, and I mean no one, pops out of the womb well versed in strength training concepts and well equipped with the tools that help you maintain a sustainable fitness habit. Some may have had a head start with weight room sessions in high school, perhaps a very active childhood that they maintained growing up, or a genuine interest in fitness that drove them to take more focused action at a formidable part of their lives, but for most, it doesn’t happen all at once. Long work days, obligations with friends and families, and shows to binge on Netflix take up a lot of time and stating a fitness goal or throwing it up on the vision board doesn’t magically help you find the time, energy, and the perfect circumstance to get in 5 workouts a week with ease.
The goal reachers started slow, likely with a much smaller goal than the ones you see them achieving now. They likely had to commit to small bouts of exercise over a long period of time until that became second nature and then they could add to it. They had to set the bar low so that missteps didn’t derail their progress. They had to weave their fitness life into the fabric of their existing life in an effortless way and then they had to keep doing it much longer than any 30-day or 90-day challenge.
They aren’t winging it.
While it may look like they are coming up with their workouts on the spot, the people who are continuously reaching their fitness goals and getting results are following a program. It could be a loose guide built around the principles of training they have learned over years and years of practice or it could be a very meticulous template or personalized program that employs evidence based progressive overload. Either way they have some plan.
And let me let you in on a little secret; trainers are following programs too! This should be the most ringing endorsement because they know first-hand the tremendous value of a well-designed program. They know it gets you to your goals, reduces your risk of injury, and increases your adherence, i.e. helps you stick to your habit. So many trainers I know will tell you their own training is so much more consistent, so much more focused, and so much more results driven when they follow a program. They know winging it just won’t get them where they need to go. (This is true for me and so many of my clients who are incredible professional personal trainers and choose to follow my programs).
They face obstacles regularly.
It isn’t glamorous to mention you had to cut a workout short because your kid’s drop off was late. It doesn’t feel too #fitspo-y to say that you felt too exhausted from a terrible night’s sleep to get your workout in today. But the truth is, that stuff still happens. It will always happen. There will always be a flat tire, a cranky back, a bad night’s sleep, a really miserable effort that leaves you questioning your strength. The most successful fitness folks take it in stride. They already know it’s part of the long game and they pivot or put plan B in place when they need it. They aren’t afraid to settle for whatever length workout they can get in, switch up their rest days, or opt for a family activity to keep them moving but not push them past their limits. They know deep down this isn’t a time limited experience. Life-long commitment takes a little bit more of the laissez-faire aiming for as many good days as possible and a little less of the no excuses chatter. When you are consistent, obstacles are less like excuses and more like detours.
They didn’t always trust their commitment.
Now it wasn’t always easy to miss a workout for these rock star fitness idols. When starting out everyone faces some doubts about their abilities to stay motivated, stay consistent, and stay the course. Talk to someone who is early in their fitness journey and faces an injury or an emergency. They worry that they won’t be able to get back to where they were. They doubt their ability to rebuild their habit. But when you put the time in, get comfortable following a program, show up consistently, you discover you can face an unplanned break, a week of vacation, or a gym being closed, with confidence because you know you have built a solid foundation in your habit. Once you reach this point, workouts are a lot like any other task that is non-negotiable in your life.
They still need regular accountability checks.
Being confident and consistent in your exercise routine doesn’t mean you don’t still need regular accountability checks. Even the most consistent fitness lovers know that they need to build in opportunities for increased accountability along the way. Say you are following a program, you’ll likely still want to check in with a coach every so often to keep yourself honest or send that coach or a friend the increased weight or reps you have been doing to keep yourself celebrating your successes. Maybe added accountability means finding a workout partner or sharing success pics with your partner. Maybe it means joining a competition or a local race every six months so you have a mini milestone at regular intervals along the way. The most successful people in fitness aren’t doing it alone and they are setting themselves up with built in accountability guard rails to keep them progressing in their lane.
Looking to become someone who excels in fitness and builds a consistent habit all while reaching their goals and getting results? Join my FREE Foundations of Strength week-long mini program that will give you a real-life taste of following a program and building accountability into your fitness routine. All you need is your body and two dumbbells! The fun starts Sunday February 7 so use this link and reserve your free spot today!
