Reaching Fitness Goals – One Step at a Time

Fitness is essential to keeping up a healthy lifestyle, but maintaining an exercise routine does not always come easy. We often lose the drive to work out due to setting unrealistic fitness expectations, juggling busy schedules, or experiencing periods of low motivation. 

When our desire to get up and go has gone up and left, practicing smart and transformative exercise habits can motivate us to fulfill our fitness goals.

Ingrained & Balanced is a podcast about health, fitness, and practicing a well-balanced lifestyle. On season 1, episode 2 of the podcast, hosts Lonnie and Marty interview Alex Crockford – a fitness trainer, YouTuber sensation, actor, and influencer – about his fitness journey. Alex discusses how mindset,  healthy habits and the role that motivation plays in his health and wellness journey.

Healthy Habits

As a fitness trainer, Alex has had a lot of experience with clients who want to gain instant results from their regimens. Beginners commonly believe they will quickly see their ideal results by setting challenging workout goals at the start of their fitness journeys. But unfortunately, people are less likely to follow through with significant changes to their routines.

Starting with an overly-demanding regime is a common reason people give up on their fitness goals. After all, a person with a less active lifestyle is unaccustomed and typically unprepared to jump into a strenuous daily workout regimen. Making a drastic change is challenging and can easily lead to lost confidence and motivation.

Instead, Alex recommends starting by setting workout plans that are small and easy. He explains that simple and straightforward activities feel more achievable, so people are less likely to become overwhelmed and lose motivation.  These small steps can include activities like going for walks, doing yoga, or following beginner-friendly workouts like the ones Alex teaches on his YouTube channel.

Additionally, achieving small goals can lift a person's confidence and self-belief, making them more optimistic and driven to continue their fitness journey. 

Making the Time

Have you ever heard of the concept of finding time vs. making time? During busy days especially, we tend to make time for our top priorities, while allowing less valuable tasks to fall by the wayside.  

Alex explains that in order to motivate yourself to make time to exercise consistently, we must first treat fitness as a priority. This not only means reframing the way we think about fitness but also treating it like one in our day-to-day behaviors, the way we do with hygiene and work.

Prioritizing fitness earlier in the day can be especially beneficial for people who view working out as challenging. According to Alex, completing challenging tasks like exercise early can help us feel more accomplished and motivated to take on other activities throughout the day. 

Physical and Mental Health

Alex concludes his interview by sharing his belief that mental health, physical health, and wellness are all intertwined. So how can people apply this ideology to motivate themselves in their fitness?

Well, maintaining an optimistic mindset is necessary for motivating oneself to achieve tasks – including physical workouts. Alex shares how essential attitude is to gaining motivation and how supporting mental health through self-awareness, self-care, and healthy habits can help us find our way back to a motivational mindset.

Furthermore, taking on enjoyable activities can help you stay persistent through drops in motivation. Try to explore workouts that you are interested in and have fun doing. For example, gamified fitness activities like sports can keep you entertained as you exercise. Similarly, social fitness like dancing, sports or clubs can allow you to enjoy other people's company as you work out. 

Regardless of what activity you choose, fitness that boosts your mood and mental health will keep you looking forward to your time spent exercising instead of dreading it.

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By practicing transformative habits to plan, prioritize, and support your fitness journey, you'll be more likely to maintain motivation and follow through with your exercise goals. If you are interested in learning more about how transformative habits can help you maintain fitness motivation, catch Alex's interview on the Ingrained & Balanced podcast!