Intermediate

Short term goals are great for getting you over slumps or helping to keep you motivated. However, long term goals – ones that focus on the longevity of your health 5 or 10 years into the future – will help keep you from reverting back to unhealthy habits.

Here are some simple ways to establish long-term health and fitness goals for yourself:

• Mentally envision where you want to be fitness-wise 10 years from now. It’s helpful to write (or type) out your vision.
• Now, break it down – what do you need to do in the next five years, one year, six months, six weeks, one week, then today to achieve your long-term goal?
• On a piece of paper or your favorite digital notepad, make two columns. In the left-hand column jot down any resources needed or challenges standing in the way of you achieving your goals. In the right-hand column list possible action plans or solutions.

Update your long term goal plan as often as you need to (weekly is most common) and place it somewhere you’ll see it multiple times a day.

Remember: What we focus on becomes our reality!

Here’s a digital high-five

Some call it a plateau, a rut, or a demotivation station. Whatever you call it, if you’re not challenging yourself by getting a liitttlleee outside your fitness comfort zone from time to time, you can easily fall into it.

We also want to challenge our muscles to help keep them strong.

Here are a few tips to help you stay engaged:

• More variety – never tried a yoga workout, a kettlebell workout, or one of the workouts in Sworkit’s Runner’s Series? Give them a try! Or create a custom workout that includes a few exercises that challenge you.
• New moves – If you’re consistently nailing that push up or plank, switch it up and try a diamond push up or a side plank. Like a lot of things in life, your body can get used to repetition. Even if you’re just looking to “maintain”, challenging your muscles and bones is helpful. During recovery, your body will improve its ability to handle that additional stress.
• Accountability Challenge – If you’re a solo Sworker try working out with a friend. Even connecting digitally with a fitness buddy – sharing goals and holding each other accountable – can help you avoid a workout rut.

Here at Sworkit we’re “diet agnostic”. That means, we believe in simply eating well. We also believe whatever nutritional route you choose…

…the two biggest factors to take into consideration are: Does your body respond positively to it and can you do it for life?

To get back on track with good nutrition habits:

• Start small – Don’t try to change everything right away. Whether that means not drinking soda one day a week, replacing a less-healthy breakfast with a healthy one, or incorporating healthy snacks instead of processed foods. Start with one, maybe two things you can do consistently until you’re ready to increase your efforts.
• Replace instead of eliminate – If you struggle with the idea of “giving up” foods and treats, try replacing them instead. For example: “Instead of juice or soda, I’ll have lemon water.”
  “Instead of ice cream, I’ll have an acai bowl.”
  “Instead of candy, I’ll have frozen grapes.”
• Keep temptation at bay – Even if you make a decision to eat well you can continually be surrounded by junk food. To stay on track, keep healthy snacks and foods on hand. That way whether you’re at home, the office, or traveling, you have healthier options at the ready.

Since nutrition is a huge contributor to your health and fitness success, we’re super proud of you for keeping good habits.