Failure - noun - an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful, lack of success.
It is perfectly normal for us to fail from time to time when we set fitness goals for ourselves. In fact, if you have never failed you may not be setting challenging enough goals. Rest assured you can use your previous failures as your stepping stones for future success.
You don't have to be perfect. Give your best effort and give yourself credit for what you have achieved. Rather than being hard on yourself when you miss one day, remember and congratulate yourself for all the workouts you completed this week.
Plan before change. When something major changes in your life it can completely throw off your routine or possibly have you abandoning your plan all together. You are going to change jobs, move houses or cities, have a child, get sick, get married, etc. All of these events can throw a wrench into your workout routine. Rather than giving up on your routine all together, make a plan that fits into your new life and schedule.
Use your pervious failures as a learning tool. You never know if you can do something until you try. That being said, every time you try something new you risk failure. Use your previous failures as a way of setting new, better goals. Did you try to do too much too fast? Maybe you weren't very passionate about the fitness goal you had set. Have a good look at what you've done in the past, figure out what worked and what didn't and why and then make a new plan for the future.
Get back on the horse. Maybe you set a New Year's resolution to start exercising daily then suddenly a cold snap of weather comes along and your car won't start one morning or your child was up all night sick. This might hinder your gym plans for a few mornings but don't let it destroy your routine. These things, "life," will always happen. Even if you miss a day, a week, a month - get back on track. Even a 20 minute workout is better than no workout. Don't let life's little obstacles completely destroy your routine. At least not permanently.
Be nice to yourself. Be flexible! The 6 a.m. workout might not always work. You have to try an evening workout from time to time. Stop kicking yourself. Remember always that you are human and things will always come up. If your child gets sick and you have to reschedule your hair appointment you don't sit around and pout about what a failure you are, do you? You just re-book the appointment and go the next day, right? Do the same with your workout.
Remember that you don't actually fail until you stop trying to succeed. Keep plugging away. Exercise is a lifelong journey. Staying active doesn't end, it always carries on so if you don't make it to the gym today it will still be there tomorrow waiting for you!
Say it! Mean it! Do it!
