As you drag yourself out of bed and force yourself to go to the gym, you may wonder: How do fit people—you know, the ones who gleefully look forward to each workout—manage to stick with it and successfully reach their fitness goals?
Bodybuilding.com wondered the same thing. They tapped the vast data pool that is their BodySpace fitness community, which boasts 8.2 million registered members, to find out about the habits that highly successful fit people have in common.
Turns out, the majority of fit individuals don’t spend hours upon hours in the gym or live on a diet of chia seeds and air. Instead, they set reachable goals and find simple, reliable ways to stay motivated and stick with it.
Here are the 4 habits that highly successful fit people follow:
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They track their workouts. People who keep track of their sweat sessions are 3.7 times more likely to be successful at reaching their fitness goals, according to Bodybuilding.com’s research. There are a slew of apps that help you do just that, from MapMyFitness+ to SocialGym and more.
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Highly successful fit people find a plan and stick to it. Focus on making it to the halfway point in your training regimen and you’ll be more likely to go all the way. Bodybuilding.com’s research found that once a person is six weeks into a 12-week fitness program, they are 47 percent more likely to finish the program than if they’ve only completed up to week five. Not sure where to begin when it comes to a fitness program? Hiring a personal trainer is your best bet, but if that’s out of the budget, there are tons of super-affordable fitness apps to help you create your own workout routine that you’ll like and stick with.
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They post progress selfies. Use Instagram for more than just posting selfies of you and your besties making duck faces or your toes in the sand while vacationing in Turks and Caicos: Flex those hard-earned muscles and take some shots of your workout progress. Bodybuilding.com’s research shows that people who post progress pictures are 3.2 times more likely to meet their fitness goals. Get tips on how to take the best possible photo here.
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Highly successful fit people make fitness a social affair. BodySpace members with 10 to 30 friend connections reach their goals 37 percent more often than members with only one to nine friends. That makes sense: Connecting with several like-minded people creates a supportive community and helps keep you motivated and accountable. Now go make some new fit friends!
