Set Yourself Up For Summer Success

From Monday next, Liz Costigan will be delivering a 6 week programme called Positively Imperfect (#PositivelyImperfect), designed to get you feeling your best in your body, just in time for your last minute holiday plans. Stay tuned for more! In the mean time, Liz, who heads up our super popular #IMAGERunClub with The Marker Hotel and Under Armour Ireland, is here to get you set up for success…

Reach for the stars

Before you start, you need to know where you are going. That is why taking time to properly set out your health and fitness goals are hugely important.

Time To Think

Take time over the next couple of days to think about what it is you truly want. What specific changes would you like to make? Is there an event you want to work towards? Or is it just a sense of wellbeing and self-love that you hope to achieve. Whatever it is, you need time to reflect otherwise you will start out on a path that may not be for you.

Write It Down

This is incredibly important – write down your goals on a piece of paper. It helps to make them real. It is also a great to look back on for motivation. If you are having a bad day or have lost your mojo, looking back on why you are doing this is a gentle shove in the right direction. It can also be really empowering to see your progress – looking back on the goals you have set and seeing growth gives you a sense of accomplishment and inspires you to keep going.

Accountability

The first person you need to be accountable to is yourself. Do this for you – you’re worth it! Achieving a goal can have a huge impact on your self-esteem so it is important to set yourself up for success. Telling friends and/or family – those positive people in your life that lift you up – what you are planning to do helps to keep you motivated.

Obstacles

Think about the weeks ahead and identify hurdles that might get in the way of your new healthy lifestyle: nights out, weekends away, work commitments – anything that might be outside of your regular routine. It is important to plan around these – Why don’t you train an extra day before a weekend away? Or eat extra clean on days when you know you’ll be overindulging? This is ‘damage control? – you know you won’t be able to eat as healthily or train as much so what can you do to compensate. It may seem pessimistic but I think it helps to create a realistic approach, one that is guilt free and mindful, creating a sense of balance.

Body & Mind

When setting your goals remember that the body and mind work together – strong mind, strong body. When we take the focus away from rock solid abs, or lbs on the scales and look deeper at what really makes us happy, body acceptance and love gets easier. If you don’t believe me, try it for the next six weeks of our Fit & Fabulous program and see how it goes – You’re worth it!

#PerfectlyImperfect

@LizCostigan @UnderArmourIRL

Photo by @NathalieMC