The Summer Kickstart

Memorial Day launches the unofficial start to summer and if you’re looking to tone up that beach body,  get back into your favorite sport, or just plain get healthy, this is the time to make change.  Whether its the longer days, the warm weather, or the boundless opportunities that summer offers, without question this is the season that people get active, get moving and get fit.  Collectively, motivation to exercise, play, stay outdoors and socialize all increase during this season - all too often to slow back down as the Summer subsides. 

The Fall Slowdown

We all know what happens to too many people.  Perhaps you relate.  After a fantastically fit summer the weather changes, and you slow down.  The holidays come and you pack on the pounds.  By New Years you’re 10 pounds heavier then just 4 months ago and join the gym.  By the end of January you’ve quit your membership (or even worse you haven’t quit but you just don’t use it) and you dread the conversations with friends that ask about what happened.  The change in seasons is a motivational trap that sucks out the excitement and vigor you had to get active and stay healthy in the summer.  You are not alone.

How to Create Long Term Habits

Consider approaching this Summer in a different way.  Instead of just letting ‘whatever happens’ happen, become conscious of your personal goals and design a plan for long lasting change.  Here’s some proven ways to do this.

1. Develop a vision and create lifestyle goals:  Are you consciously intending outcomes or passively accepting whatever life throws at you?  Take control, build a vision for long term fitness, and set small achievable goals that will support you in achieving that vision.
2. Assess your goals for feasibility:  What are your goals?  What is your vision? Are these based on results or based on action.  What do you have control over?  I’ve seen far too many people fail because goals are based on results rather than on lifestyle.  Anyone that has set a goal to lose 10, 20, 30 or more pounds realizes that once the goal is achieved that something else needs to happen to maintain it.  Far too often the weight comes right back on because the goal was focused on the short term.  Make your goals and vision related to a long term lifestyle lasting well beyond the summer.  Make a plan for the next year, the next 5 years, or create a vision of what life looks like into retirement.  When you think in such terms you’re setting yourself up for long term success, not short term ups and downs. 
3. Take 30 days and form a habit: You may have read in the past that it takes 28 days to form a habit.  Some experts say its 21 days.  Whatever the reality is (and it may very well be different for you), far too often we try out a new routine for 1 or 2 weeks and when we don’t see the intended results we give up!  Use the benefits of the summer season to create a conscious pattern of measurable activity that can be recorded well beyond the summer months.  Give this at least 30 days and you’re well on your way to success.
4. Write it down:  Research has shown that spoken goals have a 10-20% chance of being accomplished.  Written goals posted in a visible location on the other hand have a success rate of 80-90%.  Can it be that simple?  Write it down, read it daily and you’ll see yourself. 
5. Track your habits:  Re-enforce your goals and vision by tracking your habits.  The mapmyfitness website is phenomenal tool for tracking your exercise, logging your measurements, and keeping you motivated.  Use tools such as this to keep the momentum going well beyond the summer.  Every habit that re-enforces the intended outcome will support you in the long term attainment of goals.
6. Get Support to Start:  Talk to your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors.  Tell them about your goals, tell them about your vision.  Enroll people that are like minded, supportive, and if they are going to join you – most importantly make sure they are committed.  Support is fantastic but its all too easy to ‘quit’ when your support buddy decides to drop the ball.  Use support as a short term motivator, but continually ask the question – How can I ensure that I continue this long term so that you don’t run into this situation?  As a side note, its easy to find support networks of like minded individuals online with sites like mapmyfitness. 
7. Have fun:  Finally, and most importantly, choose activities you enjoy and will continue with.  If you love to walk and hike, make that your primary activity.  If you hate the gym with a passion but thing you should go because its ‘good for you’ – don’t do it.  It won’t last.  Remember we’re talking about developing long term habits.  That being said – don’t be afraid to try new things.  I’ve had clients tell me that they can’t stand running only to achieve goals of running half marathons within 6 months of that statement.  Trying new things can uncover passions.  Just because you ‘think’ you could never bike ride for 100 miles is no reason not to try out a 5 mile ride to see if it could be a passion that would challenge you to go further in the future. 

In Summary

The summer is the ideal time of year to create sustainable lifestyle patterns.  The key is to think of these habits in terms of the long term.  The seven steps outlined above will set you well on the way towards achieving your fitness goals for years to come.  Have a fantastic summer and Be Well.

Related Articles:

• How to Get Motivated in 30 Days
• Creating your Summit Challenge
• The Six Components of Whole Person Wellness
• How do I create a Fitness State of Mind
• Striving But Never Arriving – Creating Long Term Goals
• Developing the Vision
• Developing Lifestyle Change Goals