Taking Accountability For Your Health

Posted On Feb 10, 2021 By BowFlex Insider Team

A woman using her phone while eating.

The new year brings with it a sense of added pressure to get into the best shape of your life – if you’re not already – achieve goals you’ve been putting off, or become a new, enhanced version of yourself. That added anxiety is not healthy, but the positives that can stem from this include a heightened awareness of your body, the ability to recognize how you feel in that moment, and what you’d like to improve.

Understanding your health, body and mind connection is only half the battle. The other part is putting a plan into motion by making those small daily changes to meet your health, fitness and nutrition goals.

We’ve put together a list of tried-and-true accountability habits that will help keep you motivated while you crush your goals.

  1. Mindset is the key to success.

    Before you can set a specific goal, you must know why you’re challenging yourself. Do you want to be stronger? Healthier? Happier? Take the time to really focus on what’s important to you and why you want to improve certain aspects of your life. This will help you stay motivated when you hit the snooze button or reach for the TV remote instead of a book.

  2. Grab a friend and do it together.

    Having a supportive BFF, partner, or relative who wants to achieve their own set of goals can help you stick to yours. Tap them to be your accountability buddy! By exchanging new recipes, sending motivational quotes, or just checking in and having someone to talk to will keep you motivated.

  3. Set small, realistic and achievable goals every week. A phone with tracked daily steps.

    Telling yourself that you’re going to lose 10 lbs. in one week is not only unrealistic, but it’s unhealthy. Setting unachievable goals is like setting yourself up for failure and why would you want to do that? If you want to be healthier, set small specific goals every week. An example can be drinking eight glasses of water each day, cutting back on caffeine or hitting a personal record. Make every day count!

  4. Surround yourself with positivity, every day.

    Let’s be real – we all need a break from reading through to-do lists, listening to the news or watching a drama unfold on your favorite reality show. All of those things are time-consuming and stress-inducing. Try breaking up your day-to-day routine with a phone call to your BFF, giving a new hobby a try (hello, knitting) or paying it forward by buying someone behind you in line a cup of coffee. You get the idea. Endorphins make you happy and happy people achieve their goals.

  5. Utilize your calendar (even while you’re OOO).

    It might seem silly, but when you visualize something and have accounted for the time it would take you to complete it, you’re more likely to get it done. It not only eliminates excuses, like “I just didn’t have time today,” it helps build productivity and accountability habits. So, go ahead and block out that time to work out!

  6. Make a back-up plan.

    Ok, so you worked too late, overslept, and missed your workout window. Or maybe you just didn’t feel like it? Support yourself in other ways by making a back-up plan, like going for a walk around your neighborhood or committing to a round of core exercise in your living room. Finding ways to help keep you focused on your health and overall well-being even when your plan for the day doesn’t work out is crucial to staying on track.

  7. Give yourself a gold star!

    You deserve to reward yourself for any progress you make while trying to achieve your goals. Of course, your rewards should not be counterintuitive to your goal, like binge eating, taking a workout hiatus or scheduling “me time” for a whole week. Your rewards should help encourage you to stay on track. Feeling pretty good all week after killing your workouts? Buy yourself a new workout top.

By incorporating these daily habits into your routine, one step at a time, you get closer to where you want to be in achieving your health, fitness and nutrition goals. For added support, accountability resources or a fun place to socialize, check out our social channels and join our BowFlex Community!