7 Simple Steps To Finish 2016 On A High

As winter approaches, now is the time to re-evaluate your goals so you can hit the ground running in 2017 and make it your most productive year yet. Let Kandace Hudspeth show you how to maximise the rest of the autumn.

Summer has come and gone, kids are back in school and you no doubt have a few goals to achieve before the winter holidays arrive.

The change in season brings the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate your habits and refocus on your goals. Summer brings so many opportunities to enjoy time with family and friends, and early in the season it was easy to stick to the plan so we’d look amazing in our bikinis.

However, these distractions tend to make goals a little less urgent. So let this be a time for a fall re-set because you still have a few months to tackle those goals you set back in January.

1. Review your performance

Revisit those goals you wrote down back in January. Read them and realistically assess your progress and your prioritisation. How successful have you been at accomplishing the goals or the milestones associated with them? Are these goals still important to you? If so, map out the steps you need to take over the next few months to crush them. If not, be agile. Set new ones and draft your game plan for success.

2. Goal-proof your kitchen

Proper nutrition is a critical factor in accomplishing every health and fitness goal, so take the time to sort through and clean out any of those sneaky summer treats. Dedicate a shelf in the pantry or the fridge so that foods that don’t support your goals are out of your line of sight.

Build a meal plan you can stick to and prep as much as you can over the weekend. Have healthy alternatives and several grab-and-go options at the ready. Do your best to make meals and snacks thought-proof; the more time you give yourself to think, the more likely you are to start negotiating with yourself.

3. Pick and stick your plan

Don’t just wing it. Sticking to a proven training and nutrition plan is the most reliable way to guarantee your success. Did you know Bodybuilding.com has hundreds of free fitness plans designed by top trainers and fitness experts? Visit the site today and search ‘find a plan’ to get started.

4. Schedule meetings with yourself

Commit to your training time each day. Put it on your calendar or set an alarm to remind you. Stick to this daily commitment no matter the distractions. Fulfilling this daily undertaking does two things to support your progress: it reinforces the importance of the goal to you and the people in your life, and it strengthens your willpower and belief in your ability to successfully accomplish your goals.

5. Morning rituals create success

Mornings set the tone for the day, so give yourself enough time to accomplish your morning tasks without rushing. Make sure you build in enough time to mentally account for your day’s major tasks, so you can prepare and pre-plan your response to any obstacle that may pop up.

Following the two simple suggestions below will see you well on the path to attaining your goals:

1. You’re much more likely to succeed with the support of friends and family. At a minimum, voice your goals and areas of focus so that they can keep you accountable. Even better, make it a family challenge and involve the household, set mini challenges or give each member of the family a specific role in helping you succeed.

2. A regular sleep pattern is vital if you’re to stick to your plan. Your stress levels will decline, you’ll be less likely to reach for unhealthy foods and you’ll have the energy to push harder during training.

Find fitness advice in every issue of TRAIN for HER magazine.