Fitness is about discipline

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and their accomplishment”. A truer word has never been spoken. When it comes to achieving something worthwhile, such as losing weight or getting in shape, it takes discipline to turn that goal into a reality. That means showing up for your gym session with your personal trainer, eating healthy most of the time and sticking with it even when times are tough. Essentially, it’s about doing what you know you should do, even when you don’t feel like doing it. Here are five ways to keep you disciplined on your journey to optimal health.

1. Set goals – Setting specific, measurable goals is one of the cornerstones of discipline. It doesn’t need to be anything too lofty, but it needs to be meaningful to you and time specific. For example, “I want to lose 5 kilos and increase muscle tone before my wedding next May” is a goal that is both achievable and time specific. It gives a definite purpose and meaning to your training, which will help keep you on track.
2. Hire a personal trainer – Hiring a personal trainer will not only help you to achieve your goals, it will also provide you with accountability and support. When you have a training plan in place, you are far more likely to show up for your scheduled sessions and do the right things outside of the gym. A personal trainer will also encourage you in order to achieve your results as quickly as possible.
3. Consistency – Consistency trumps motivation, every time. If you can be consistent with your efforts week on week, you will start to see the fruits of your labour. This means giving your best every time you train and staying focused on your plan outside of that. Of course, we are all only human, so expect to have peaks and valleys on the journey to optimal health. The thing about being consistent however, is that you can get back on track quicker than otherwise would be the case. This is the key to lasting success.
4. Celebrate your wins – This is a critical habit that creates a positive relationship with training, diet, and your results. It’s so important to celebrate your wins, no matter how trivial they may seem. Giving your self a pat on the back is underrated. Feel good that you achieved a new personal best this week, or that you cooked from scratch more often than not. This is the essence of positive reinforcement, and it will keep you motivated and focused to keep going.
5. Being accountable – The bottom line is - you are far more likely to show up to your training sessions when you know that someone else is relying on you. This can take the shape of a training partner, a personal trainer or even your spouse or partner. We will often cancel plans if it just impacts us, but if our decision let’s someone else down, we will be more inclined to stick to our word. That’s the beauty of personal training, in that it’s a two way street. If you can communicate and work together in the direction of your specific goals, then you can achieve amazing things.