Sport and good resolutions: how to keep them?

We're only a few days away from the start of a new year and you've probably already made your sports resolutions and set your goals to improve your lifestyle. However, it is also possible that, in previous years, you have made your resolutions, but that over the days you have not kept them. Rest assured, finding the motivation to achieve your goals can be a difficult task for anyone!

The first thing to do to stay motivated throughout 2022 is to set a clear goal of what you are looking for and to measure your progress as you keep your commitment. However, other factors will also influence your success in achieving your goals.

How to keep your sports resolution effectively?

You will always have good resolutions when, at the beginning of the year, you will think back to all the excesses and the extra pounds that often go hand in hand with end-of-year holiday meals. But the frustration will arise when you start postponing your workouts over the days until you stop doing them, before the sport even enters your routine and becomes a habit. To prevent this from happening, we recommend that you follow these tips:

・Ask yourself what you want to achieve

Before looking for an exercise program or a sports coach, you need to know what your interests are and what you want to achieve by including sports in your life. Assess the challenge you're facing and decide if you want to start getting in shape, improve your techniques, create new habits, or prepare for more intense workouts.

In this way, you will know what to expect, you will strengthen your motivation and find the engine that will make you act in all circumstances.

・D efine the results you want to achieve within a certain time frame

On the other hand, anything you put a date on becomes a commitment. So put a name and numbers to your plan, it will allow you to have a better vision and you will strive to achieve what you have set for yourself in the corresponding time. It's about clearly defining the goal you set earlier, hoping to get good results in a reasonable time frame.

However, don't be too hard on yourself, set realistic deadlines that you know you can meet. Try to be flexible on certain days so you don't feel overwhelmed.

・Take it one step at a time

Be careful not to skip the steps! For starters, 20 minutes of physical activity a day, at home or in the gym, can be enough to get results. Concentrate on your sporting objective without wanting to reach heights and do things in order.

It's easier to find consistent motivation when you notice step-by-step changes, which will help you keep going because you know you're doing it right and you'll get results in the time frame you set.

However, if you have not managed to reach your goal in the indicated time, now is not the time to stop, on the contrary, stop for a moment and assess what is wrong in order to start changing and improving it. That's why it's important not to set the bar too high and take it one step at a time.

・Pay more attention to performance and less to results

To better understand this point, let's take a common example. Many of us have been suddenly motivated to start a new exercise routine in an effort to shed the extra pounds we've accumulated over time. And it's only after the first month that we try to put on these pants that we kept for the occasion. Except that it will be nice to tuck in the belly and contract the buttocks, it is still not quite our size.

Many people, and you may have been one of them, throw in the towel when they don't see the desired results. Whether you are setting up a project, starting a new relationship, or starting a sporting activity, you will always encounter this phase of disillusionment after the enthusiasm of the start .

This psychological mechanism is natural and essential to our progress . But what you don't notice is that your performance has improved, you have better stamina, better fitness, and you can do more sets without being as tired, and that's what's really important.

What we mean is that you don't have to worry if you don't get the desired results in a short time and it takes a little longer to see them. Don't blame yourself, the best thing you can do is enjoy the process and strive to improve your performance, which will help you work harder to improve your technique and start seeing beneficial results.

・Enjoy all your progress

Just getting one more rep of an exercise that you struggled with yesterday is a big step forward and something to celebrate. Acknowledge the effort you put in each day to achieve your fitness goal, don't look at yourself in the mirror of others, and focus on what you are accomplishing in your life.

Thus, you will gain in self-esteem because a bit like success or the law of series in sport, confidence is a virtuous circle: you succeed, therefore you are confident, therefore you dare, therefore you succeed, etc.

・Surround yourself with people with similar goals

From the beginning, we have emphasized that motivation is an indispensable factor in achieving your sporting goals. A great way to do this, then, is to share with people who have similar ideas and goals to yours.

At this stage, it is also advisable to call on trained and professional people who can guide you throughout your journey. Generally speaking, they have what you need to always feel motivated to improve and dare to do more with each training session.

Related articles:
How to set sports goals: 8 tips
How to achieve your goals: 4 essential steps

Why do some good resolutions fall into oblivion over time?

At the start, January 1st, everything is going well, you have signed up for a gym, your things are always ready in advance, the fatigue of the day does not stop you and you are happy to put on your new brand new fitness outfit . But there you are, inevitably the motivation falls: you fail to see any physical change and do not accept that all your efforts have not yielded the results so hoped for.

Added to this, comparison with others is a factor that contributes to leaving goals in limbo. At some point, you might wonder how come your gym partner achieved their goals in less time than you. What you need to understand is that every body works differently , and you don't know how the other person completes their workout.

Typically, goal abandonment occurs when you are unable to see your potential, appreciate your efforts, and notice the small changes you have made over time. On the contrary, you only notice that you are doing a lot and not actually getting what you want.

Fitness comes through regular practice

・If you don't supplement your physical effort with a good diet, everything will become more complex

One of the most important things, if not THE most important, that you may have overlooked when you had the good intention to enter the world of sports is that you need to improve your diet . Getting back in shape depends not only on regular physical activity but also on a healthy diet. It's time to say goodbye to junk food, refined sugar and other foods that sabotage your progress.

Finally, our best recommendation is that once you have your plan in place, you should consult nutrition and sports professionals or simply do your own research on the net to understand all the basics of a healthy, balanced diet. Thus, you will have all the necessary information during your sports sessions and you will find a clear motivation.

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