Whether your main goal is losing weight or just being healthier, getting and staying fit requires a lot of discipline.

For a lot of people, the biggest challenge is keeping at it, even when you’re tired, you don’t feel like it, or you’re just distracted by whatever life throws your way. Unless you’re an expert in self-discipline, you’re going to need to stay motivated at all times to prevent a distraction or lack of enthusiasm to keep you from your weight and health goals.

Here are a few things to help you stay on track:

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Why do you want to be fit? Everyone has a different reason, be it health, family, weight, or just the desire to look great. Whatever your reason, it is important to you and you need to keep it in your mind at all times to help you stay focused. Put a price on your goal and keep reminding yourself that it’s worth it.

For example, if your reason is looking great and right now you’re trying to decide if you’ll go to bed or go out for a run, think about the run as a price you’re paying. Say to yourself “I want to look in the mirror and absolutely love what I see and going out for a run is the only think standing in my way“.

Keep reminding yourself that it is worth it. Feeling good about yourself, being healthier, and enjoying life is absolutely worth that run!

Make it Easy to Say Yes

Don’t set crazy goals that are far from what you’re used to. If you’ve never done any exercise before, you can’t expect to suddenly eat healthy all the time and go to the gym three times a week. You’ll likely give up and feel bad about it later. Start small and do everything you can to make it really hard to say no.

Don’t stop eating everything you love all at once and eat only vegetables for the foreseeable future, decide that you will eat at least one healthy meal a day. Put your running shoes near your bed and keep that yoga mat where you can see it as a constant reminder.

Accountability

Accountability is the opposite of the previous tip. It makes it hard to say no. If you can afford a personal trainer, schedule appointments ahead of time for the month so that you will feel bad about canceling it.

Tell a friend or family member about your goals and use them to keep you accountable. Ask them to ask  you at least once a week if you did what you planned to do. The thought of telling someone “no” will keep you motivated to just “get the workout over with”.

Plan Ahead

You’ll need to make time for the gym, running, yoga, or whatever you decide to do to keep fit. Plan your week so that you know exactly when that time is.

This will help you be more efficient in your daily responsibilities and you’ll end up with free time that is only for fitness, which will make you feel guilty if you use it for something else (hopefully). This will also prevent you from missing out on workouts because you didn’t have enough time (a common excuse).

Plan Your Meals

Part of staying fit is eating healthy and the best way to stick with the program is to plan your meals ahead of time. Meal planning has a lot of benefits, but these are the two main ones you’ll notice once you start:

i) You won’t be thinking about what you plan on eating for lunch. You’ll have everything planned and ready. No stress, less temptation, and no wasted time.

ii) Planned meals make grocery shopping much more efficient because you make a list of exactly what you need.

The most important thing for you to remember is that no one is perfect. Discipline is one of the hardest things to develop and is the #1 obstacle people face when trying to reach their goals. This applies to everything in life, including weight loss, business, and even relationship goals.

If you didn’t make it once, that doesn’t make you a failure, it just means you have to try again. And keep remembering why you’re doing it and why it’s important. Remember that you are the only thing standing in the way of your goals, all you have to do is take action and know that you’re worth it!

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About our guest author: Alin Cooperman is the CEO and Founder of MakeMyPlate. If you like what you read, you can follow Alin on LinkedIn