Ethan from One Eighty Fitness takes you through the vital steps to achieving your fitness goals. Want to run a 5k? Or maybe an obstacle course like Beast in the East? Read on…

Anything is possible – if you set your mind to it.
When embarking on any fitness goal the key to your training and eating plan is sustainability.
No one knows you better than you know yourself – everyone is different and unique so the motivational tips and tricks you use have to be tailored to you. Below I’ll mention some suggestions which have worked for others but ultimately you should put in place anything that you know will inspire you to succeed and remind you why you are doing it.
Motivation…
…is something which drains over time which is why if your goal is a longterm one then set yourself muliple mini goals along the way so that you are regularly achieving. The feeling of success and being on course for your bigger goal will help you stay motivated over the much longer period of time.
For example: if you want to be able to achieve 100 push ups in 4 weeks, maybe set mini goals of being able to achieve 50 push ups after 2 weeks and 75 after 3 weeks.
The lesson: Breaking your goals down into manageable bitesize chuncks also takes away that daunting moutain to climb feeling helping you stay motivated.
Pace yourself…
It depends heavily on the length of time you have to achieve your goal. If you have a goal that is roughly 4 weeks away then you should be able to stay focused on the task at hand. If your goal is much further away you will probably need to employ some form of strategy to help you stay focused and achieving.
The lesson: Don’t try and transform your life over night. Instead, try to overcome 1-2 issues at a time. Reducing portion sizes, cutting out takeaways/junk food, eating healthy, when you are eating, reducing sugar, cutting down on alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity, increasing your metabolism. If you have a 3 month plus goal then introduce any or all of the above suggestions gradually so that the impact on your life doesn’t demotivate you, but in fact these things become second nature.
Cheat days
I’m a firm believer in cheat days if you are new to exercise / eating healthy. Going cold turkey is extremely difficult and challenging so why make life more difficult than it needs to be. Wean yourself onto a healthy eating pattern. Eat healthy for 5 days leaving the weekends for treats and alcohol (if these are a regular part of your current diet) then reduce this in time to a ratio of 6:1. The massive advantage to cheat days is that you are never more than 6 days away from a treat which reduces the temptation to binge during the week.
Please remember cheat days are predominantly for those whose current diets contain high quantities of sugar which recent studies show can be as addictive as nicotine.
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**If you read the title of this article and scrolled immediately down to this list of motivational suggestions then it means you have more than likely tried to diet or tried to achieve a physical goal but keep falling short. The reason is that you’re looking for shortcuts and I can save you a lot of time and trouble: THERE ARE NONE. If you want the end result bad enough, then you will put in the effort.**
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10 Motivational tips and suggestions.
- Pictures – place a picture of the physique you desire on the mirror or fridge . This way its a reminder at the start of everyday or anytime you are peckish what you are trying to achieve. (a mirror on the fridge also works)
- Inspiration – surround yourself with inspirational quotes or images at home, at work, on your phone or computer. This might just give you the boost you need when you are faltering.
- Talk about it – don’t keep your goals to yourself. If you keep it a secret then you probably won’t succeed as you are already thinking about sparing yourself the embarrassment if you fail. Tell everyone what you are trying to achieve and use the fear of failure as motivation. Others will also help you stay on course.
- Don’t go it alone – find someone who also wants to improve their lifestyle so you can train together. On the days you are dragging your feet they will help motivate you and vice versa.
- Know your weaknesses – are you lazy? Do you have little knowledge of exercise or healthy eating? If so admit it… Employ a personal trainer to help you in the areas where you need help.
- Be honest with yourself – how badly do you want to achieve your goal? If you keep thinking of excuses why not to train or eat cleaner then you clearly dont want to achieve that goal badly enough.
- Have fun – if your goal involves physical activity then try and find an appropriate sport to keep you entertained. If you can only walk due to joint issues try golf, if you can’t run far try tennis etc.
- Problem solve – don’t think of reasons why you can’t do something. Instead look for the solution that enables you to participate or achieve it.
- Punishment system – if you skip a training session put £5 in a jar, if you eat a takeaway make it £10, at the end you can treat yourself with the money to a new outfit or piece or sporting equipment.
- Suck it up – yes it’s hard, yes you’re going to want to quit. Think of those less fortunate than yourself, think of those who have disabilities and don’t complain…. Now stop the bitching and whining and get on with it.
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