A few reasons people will fail at their fitness goals include setting too tough a target and not encouraging themselves by recognising their progress.
A friend of mine once set himself the goal of losing 1Kg a week for the year. When I asked him why he picked that target, he said he liked round numbers. In general, and depending on your starting point, losing 1Kg a week consistently is a very challenging goal. Usually sustainable weight loss is 1-2Kg every 2-4 weeks. So you might lose 500g (about a pound in old money) a week, or it might be less. Unfortunately my friend got disheartened when he didn’t achieve his weight loss goal.
For some people, even with a realistic goal like losing 250g/week, it can seem overwhelming or difficult to implement. The temptation can be to step on the scales every day, or take too much on. This is where having really easy habits to tick off the list helps.
✅ Can you drink 1L of water today? Maybe even 500mL if you’ve never drank water on its own!
✅ Can you get 1000 extra steps in from your normal routine? Or even 100?
✅ Can you go to bed 5-10 minutes earlier? Even if you need to get an extra 1-2 hours of sleep, you can start with 5-10 minutes…
By building up these mini “wins” you prove to yourself that you can become the type of person who is as healthy as you want to be. If you only wait until the big wins – like reaching your target weight – it’s too easy to get distracted and demotivated.
Two things will help with your goals and motivation. Having an external coach who can help you set your goals, the system to achieve them, and hold you accountable is one. Being amongst people who’ll believe in you and celebrate you along the way is the other. If you’d like help, please reach out!