One Day Challenge

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I would like to challenge you to reach your highest fitness potential by asserting some accountability into your life.  It is too often that we only do something, or not do something, when there is a consequence or accountability looming over us.  Think back to your school days…did you write term papers for the fun of it, or were they done begrudgingly because they were assigned and you wanted to pass the class?  How often do you “take the garbage out” simply because you want to?  It is usually done because you have to.  And the same can be true for things that we should be doing in order to maintain our health.  Think about the amount of time, effort and energy that you put into brushing and flossing your teeth, and rinsing your mouth out right before you go to the dentist;  is it the same that you do at least twice a day every day?  Chances are, you aren’t doing everything that you could, would, should do to maintain your health because of a lack of accountability.  Let me give you a quick and easy daily challenge to introduce some of this motivating accountability to get you going.

Here is how to start the challenge.  At the beginning of the day, on a small piece of paper, write down at least one thing you could/would/should do today that will lead you to reach a fitter you.  Don’t make it anything impossible or unreasonable, but don’t make it something that you already do.  A good goal is one that is both attainable and a step ahead from where you are currently at.  Then, put that piece of paper somewhere that you can return to at the end of the day.  For example, grab a magnet and put it up on the refrigerator.  Or, simply leave it by your nightstand.  And then go about your day.  At the end of the day, go back to that piece of paper and see if you met your goal.  If you did, congratulations!  Ask yourself, would you have done that activity if you didn’t write that goal earlier in the day?  If so, maybe it wasn’t a step ahead.  If it was something new, was it because you now knew you were coming home to that piece of paper?  It is funny how a little bit of accountability can be motivating.  And, if you didn’t meet your goal, if it was a realistic one, did you now feel a little bit of guilt not doing it having written it out earlier in “black and white”?

Often having things “down in writing” gives us a sense of responsibility to maintain or achieve what is there on paper.  This responsibility is the accountability that causes us to do things that we normally might not do out of a sense of “have to” or guilt.  It is fantastic if you’re already a self-motivated person.  But most people are not.  Most everybody needs some sort of carrot dangled in front of us.  And it is part of the human condition to have guilt or accountability to be motivational.  So use it!  Anything, especially feeling accountable, that motivates you to do something healthier if a good thing.

It might be pretty difficult to create a situation where there is a significant consequence for not achieving a fitness goal.  And that is fine.  But becoming accountable for you health, by being accountable for your actions should motivate you to be the fittest that you can be.  Either being motivated by the desire to achieve you have written down, or the fear of the guilt you may feel by not meeting that goal is due to the accountability you have to meet that goal.  Take this one day challenge.  See if you meet your goal.  At the end of the day, assessing why or why not that goal was met will give you a sense of accountability.  Being accountable for your health is the responsible way to achieve a fit new you!