We’ve all been there. You set goals to get fitter, stronger, and lose some weight. You start to eat healthily and hit the gym hard, but, before long, life gets in the way. Motivation is often high at the beginning of a fitness journey, but, once it starts to deplete, you’ll see even the smallest of excuses as valid ones for skipping your workouts or gorging on unhealthy snacks. You may try fitness again at some point, but unless changes are made, the cycle will repeat and likely end in failure. With that in mind, here are seven ways to keep on track with your fitness goals.

Write Down Clear Targets

It’s tough to accomplish anything unless you know exactly what it is that you want to achieve. For this reason, you should get specific about the goals that you want to hit. Write down exactly how much time you plan to spend in the gym each week, as well as your main motivators for getting fit. For these targets to be effective, however, they must be measurable. Writing that you want to “get healthy” for example, wouldn’t help, but listing tangible ways to measure your health would.

Give Yourself A Purpose

Wanting to get fit for your own health and happiness is great, but, when it’s only you at stake, you might find it tough keeping yourself motivated to exercise when you’d rather be doing anything else. Because of this, you should find another purpose for your fitness. Many find competitions to be great motivators, so consider signing up for a lifting contest or a marathon. You could even sign up to one of these events for charity, which would give you another reason not to give up.

Choose An Enjoyable Exercise

Contrary to popular belief, exercise doesn’t need to be boring. In fact, if you do it right, it can prove to be an incredibly fun and enjoyable hobby. You’re much less likely to stick to your workout plans if you hate the exercise that you do, so make sure that you find one a little more fun. If you aren’t a fan of the gym, then take a dance class, go for a bike ride, or spend a few hours swimming. You can also mix up the exercises that you do so that it doesn’t get too repetitive.

Bring Along A Buddy

Another great way to make exercise more enjoyable is to bring along a friend. This gives you someone to talk to and have some fun with. Bringing along a workout buddy can also ensure that you remain motivated, as seeing their progress will make you want to achieve the same. They will also help to keep you accountable when you’re not putting in enough effort or don’t want to go to the gym. If you don’t have a fitness friend, you can usually find one by joining online groups.

Tell Others Your Intentions

Working out with a partner is beneficial for many, but there are a few people out there that could think of nothing worse. If you don’t like the idea of having a fitness buddy, then you should find other ways to keep yourself accountable. You could tell family and friends your plans, for example, or start fitness blogging to track your progress. The more people that know about your new healthy lifestyle, the more likely it is that you will actually stick to it and hit your goals.

Find The Right Rewards

Rewarding yourself for meeting your targets can be an incredibly effective way of keeping you on track. However, you do need to be sure that you don’t let these rewards ruin your progress. Using junk food as motivation, for example, will create the mindset that you want it more, which could prompt you to pig out. Instead, you should stick to non-food related treats, like a massage or a few hours in front of the television.

Work Within Your Limits

For those who have lived a relatively unhealthy lifestyle for some time now, it doesn’t help to completely change your habits now. If you suddenly start doing two workouts every day and eat salads for every meal, you could do more harm than good. If you don’t burn out, or, worse still, injure yourself, you’ll push yourself so far that you just give up anyway. Fitness is a long game, so start small, keep it up, and slowly increase your limits over time.

Keeping on track with your fitness goals can be a struggle, but, hopefully, with this advice, you’ll find the challenge a little easier.