How to Stay Accountable To Your Fitness Goal

Summer is over . That means that we’ve had our fun and committed our indulgences and are ready fully set our sights on our health and fitness goals.

Accountability is the factor most important to being fit.  Now there are 2 types of accountability I’m talking about: workout accountability and nutrition accountability.  There are several effective ways to be held accountable.  You can hold yourself accountable, have a friend hold you accountable or theres even online sites that help hold you accountable for your workouts and eating. 

Below are usefule tips to help you and those around you to help you stay accountable.

1. Tell your friends and family
 When you put your goals, or even your intentions, out there for others to see, it makes them real and makes them known. Tell your family and your friends. Even ask them to intervene if they see you about to make a decision that will hurt your progress Tell them about your dietary guidelines and be specific about the foods you have to avoid or have in moderation. This way they know not to offer you certain things that you shouldn’t have but may have trouble resisting.

2. Write out your workout plans for the week.

This is something that I usually do on Sundays, and even though the plans aren’t super-specific, they generally outline when and how far I’ll run, when I’m teaching, when I’ll be doing weights (and what general muscle groups), and when I’ll be doing group exercise classes. As you’ll soon see in the next few tips, I’m a huge fan of writing things down because it means they’re real, not just a thought that floats through my mind. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to put a great big check mark next to a completed workout, or any other completed goal.


3. Find a workout partner
Sometimes, we need a little extra help keeping motivated and sticking to a routine. If you are having trouble keeping yourself accountable, seek out an accountability partner. This can be a personal trainer if you need someone more like a drill sergent to keep you on track.
Having a workout partner will hold you accountable to a set workout schedule for many reasons. You know that someone else’s goals rely on you being there with them. You know that if you don’t show up, at least one other person will know that you’re skipping on your workouts.  If things come up, you won’t be able to push your workout to a later time which will increase the likelihood of not going at all. This means that you’ll be forced to work whatever unexpected things life might throw at you around your workout schedule and not the other way around.  Be sure that your partner is reliable as well. Before committing, tell them about your goals and the specific reasons you need a partner and make sure they’re on the same page as you.

5. Use a food diary
One accountability trick is to write down what you plan to eat before you eat it, not after. “The power in this is that it really increases your awareness more and makes you think literally twice about a food before you eat it. List the foods or calories you’re eating, or simply mark an “X” on the calendar for every day you met your daily goal to, say, eat healthier snacks or avoid nighttime eating.

6.  Plan your meals for the day – and write them down.   
Anyone who has ever carried a food baby (or two, or six) will know that it’s easy for eyes to get bigger than our stomachs when we’re hungry. I find that writing out a rough outline of meals for the day first thing in the morning helps to ensure that I’ll be eating regularly (hence not letting myself get to the point that I’m so hungry I want to shove everything in the fridge in my face), and in reasonable portion sizes.

7. Hire a personal trainer
 
Having a personal trainer is probably the most effective way to reach a fitness goal.  Personal trainers, like myself, not only walk you through the workouts, but hold you accountable to show up, complete the workouts and to eat properly.  Similar to having a workout partner, your workout time with your trainer pre-set.  I often recommend my clients to keep a workout and food journal to make sure they adhere to their fitness and nutrition.

Hold yourself accountable.  Have a friend hold you accountable.  Have a trainer hold you accountable.  Stay focused on whatever goal you have and don't stop until you achieve it.


Hold yourself accountable.  Have a friend hold you accountable.  Have a trainer hold you accountable.  Stay focused on whatever goal you have and don't stop until you achieve it.