Maintaining daily fitness and movement goals is a really important element of a healthy lifestyle. However, life doesn’t always go to plan and we’re bound to encounter roadblocks, unplanned detours and waning motivation along the way.
With that in mind, I always encourage making sure you have supportive structures and strategies in place to help you stay on (or get back on) track. Here are my top four winning support strategies that’ll help you keep progressing.
A supportive community
They say teamwork makes the dream work, and they’re not wrong. Sharing your journey and the challenges you face with a supportive community or group of people is the best way to maintain your focus! That might mean taking on a fitness challenge with a group of friends, sharing goals with your partner, or joining an online fitness community. Either way, doing so encourages accountability because you’re tackling the same things together and checking in with each other. And it means you’re there for each other when one of you experiences any roadblocks or lapses in motivation.
Don't neglect self-care
Progress and those lovely endorphins after a workout can get quite addictive! But I cannot stress how important it is to give your body ample time to recover when you’re keeping fit. You must factor in rest, active recovery days and good quality sleep. Doing so ensures muscle recovery and also allows those muscles to strengthen. It reduces your risk of injury and helps to avoid things like overtraining and burnout. When planning your rest days, schedule in a gentle walk to get your circulation moving and help in muscle recovery. Or try some gentle yoga to give the body a wonderful, healing stretch.
Plan your workouts to fit your lifestyle
While you’re putting increased demand on your body, you don’t want to be putting too much increased demand on your schedule if you can avoid it. Plan the workouts of your week to suit your lifestyle. Busy evenings with family duties? Schedule your workouts to get them over and done with first thing in the morning. Not a morning person? Perhaps you can get your workout done during your lunchbreak, or as soon as you clock off at 5pm before you relax for the night. Not a fan of hitting the supermarket? Commit to one big shop and meal prep on Sundays, and future you will thank you for filling up the fridge! Or plan a grocery delivery during the week so you’ve got healthy food delivered to your door.
Supplements to support your body
As we push our bodies harder than they’re used to, it only makes sense they might need a little extra support. Physical exertion can lead to things such as muscle soreness, stiffness, cramps and tension in the following days. And while these symptoms are not unexpected, they can make continuing your fitness journey more of an uphill battle. Thankfully there are supplements that can aid in relieving these symptoms! On top of maintaining a diet full of healthy, whole ingredients to give me plenty of energy, I like to take Blackmores Super Magnesium+ to support my muscle and nervous system health. -
By using a combination of these techniques you’ll find you’re better set up for consistency and sufficient recovery when it comes to your own fitness goals. And once we do that, progress follows! Set yourself up for success, and there’s no knowing what you’ll achieve…
Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.