4 Tips to Commit to Being Fit

Unfortunately, planning to work out doesn’t count as a workout. Good intentions don’t show up on your body. If you currently live on someday-isle—where promises and hope are part of your fitness plan, you need a little tough love, don’t you? You won’t reap all the benefits to your body, energy level and mind until you commit to getting fit. So here’s your friendly — and loving — kick-in-the-butt to commit to being fit for the long haul!

1. Build your healthy habits one brick at a time. If you feel you have a long way to go to create a healthy lifestyle, try to make one healthy new change per week. Every Sunday, take on one new healthy step. Maybe one week you decide to get some exercise into your day — even if for just 15 minutes — and the next week you have one less dessert each week, and the third week you start hydrating with water all day. Keep adding healthy habits one brick at a time and build your healthy lifestyle week by week.

2. Work on your stick-to-itiveness. Practice discipline. You can’t expect to wake up overnight and have rock solid willpower. Sticking to commitments comes from doing what you say you are going to do over and over again. The more times you follow through on what you say you are going to do, the more self-trust you build and the more discipline you acquire. Most people don’t feel too favorably about themselves when they don’t do what they say they are going to do — so following through becomes a promise that improves how you feel about yourself each time you successfully have discipline. Self-respect is the root of discipline. What have you done today to make you feel proud? Ask yourself this every day.

3. Create an environment that supports you. Don’t make temptation a game you play to see how much unhealthy stuff you can resist. Instead, be smart about creating an environment that supports you. Do you hang around others who want to get fit? Do you have friends and family supporting you and your goals? Do you buy foods that support your goals? Do you have an accountability partner or a group fitness class you love? Have you found an exercise you love and can’t live without? Get going on creating an environment that has your back!

4. Reward your healthy behavior. Make your commitment to exercise fun by documenting it. Use fitness apps, or even rewarding yourself with health and fitness gifts. Buy yourself a new workout outfit, a new pair of running shoes, a reusable water bottle, a healthy eating cookbook or a new fitness DVD. You know what will motivate you, so tell yourself you can have it when you commit to getting fit!