Reasons You are not Reaching Your Fitness Goals

Does it seem like you’re always going in circles with your fitness goals and routine?  If any of these following reasons sound like you, then you may need to reassess what you’re doing and how you’re doing it in order to get back on track – and have fun on the journey!

1. You Haven’t Decided on a Clear, Specific Goal

Setting a clear, specific goal can clear the mind of clutter and cut through the fog of day-to-day things adding up, for when you know exactly what it is that you want, then you can start to plan and implement a routine to get there.  In a hectic life, making time for fitness is key.  If you are just going day to day without any rhyme or reason for what you want and why you want it, how you are going to get there will remain unclear and you will continue getting lost in the day to day tasks that get in the way and slow you down.  Set a goal, review it regularly, and always keep that goal right in the forefront of your mind each day.  If you don’t know what the destination is, how do you know what path to follow to get there?  Having a clear, specific goal also helps ones self-efficacy.  As you make progress, compare your results as you continue through a spectrum of mini goals – this will motivate you and make you feel good not only about the new you, but the way you’re doing it.

2. You Always Do the Same Routine

Mixing up your fitness regimen can help enhance weight loss — and can help you find a program you love enough to stick with for continued results.  We need to give ourselves chances to discover what it is we really love doing so instead of dreading the workout, we look forward to it and are pumped up by it.  Beginning to lose weight is one thing, continuing to shed pounds and keeping it off is another.  The maintenance phase of fitness is what you’re in for the long haul.  So if you’re not having fun doing it and keeping it fresh, relapse into inactivity is highly likely.  Consistent does not have to mean boring.  Muscle confusion is one of the keys to getting continued results.  In fact, that’s the secret to Mel’s clients’ success at the Rock Body Fitness boot camps.  With Rock Body boot camps, never will you get the same workout twice and every muscle group will be challenged.  Whether a novice exerciser, looking to lose weight, or continuing to tone an experienced body, doing these high energy, outdoor group workouts challenge you to try new ways of testing your limits and improving your athletic skills.  Plyometrics, obstacle courses, ladder and cone drills, stair running, relays, push-ups and core exercises will keep you striving to reach your best and having fun doing it!  Challenge mind and body, you don’t have to do anything crazy or expensive, simply adding a new piece of equipment like kettlebells, a TRX suspension trainer, or medicine balls can be a great way to mix it up and have fun.

3. You Skip Your Workout to Watch Your Favorite TV Show

According to a resent survey, adult Americans spend about 5 hours a day watching TV — the third most time-consuming activity in our lives after work and sleep.  To make matters worse, watching TV expends even fewer calories than other activities we use to pass the time like reading, writing, playing games and talking on the phone.  Simply decreasing TV time could burn more calories than you were before, relatively of course.  People who limit their TV watching to 50% or less than the 5 hour average, can burn up to an additional 120 calories a day, proving that doing any activity other than watching TV (or eating) could help your weight-loss efforts.  This 120 calories a day adds up, as that equates to an extra pound a month or 12 pounds in a year!  Furthermore, nowadays we have DVR – so there’s no excuse for not sticking to your routine on a daily basis.  People watch TV to tune out and get a break from the stresses of everyday life – which is a purpose that exercise serves even better!  If you’re hung up on watching your shows live, another idea is to go to the gym and watch it while you are cycling, on the elliptical, or even jogging on the treadmill.  Use that hour wisely and turn it into a fat burning compromise!

4. YOU PUT WORK BEFORE FITNESS ON YOUR DAILY TO-DO LIST 

If you never plan it into your routine and make it an important task that needs to get done (just like the rest of your to-do list), then you will continue to push back or cancel your fitness plans for the day because you just have too much to get done.  This is understandable and happens to all of us, but if it’s happening on a regular basis, maybe you are neglecting yourself because of your career and family life, etc.  It’s important to prioritize and make time for fitness, just like you have to make time for the other critical aspects of your life.  You need to put YOU first. Trust me, doing this will give you more energy and an ability to function and do better with the other puzzle pieces in your life!  Without a healthy and happy you, the rest can quickly dissipate anyway.  If you continually avoid sticking to a clear weekly fitness plan, your weight and health will inevitably begin to suffer.  Invest in yourself and make it an important part of your daily routine.  Studies have shown that working out at least 3 times a week decreases stress, increases confidence levels and improves cognitive abilities and energy.  So ironically enough, making time for yet ‘another thing to do’, could actually help you cope better with the rest of your life including a busy work routine, feeling more balanced and having an overall sense of accomplishment in your day to day life.  Even if there are too many things on your plate one day, not being able to get to the gym no longer means you can’t workout.  Try a 20-30 min H.I.I.T. (high intensity interval training) workout at home with us and watch how convenient it is to get fit fast!
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Melanie is a San Diego native, a lover of outdoor activities, cooking, friends & family, & is an entrepreneur at heart.  As a personal chef and fitness coach, she has been able to combine her two career passions – which has proven to be an exciting journey.  Inspired by a love for cooking & entertaining, Melanie attended the Art Institute of San Diego and in 2006, she became a personal chef.  Ever since been then, she has been preparing nutritious gourmet meals (personal meal deliveries & private party catering) for residents in La Jolla, Carmel Valley and all over North County San Diego.  Melanie is NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified and is the founder of Rock Body Food.  Melanie truly loves her job of teaching others how to do what she loves & lives herself!