How to Create Fitness Goals That Actually Fit Your Life
A healthier mindset
Story by Mackenzie Lionberger
It’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind when wellness advice fills your feed. One scroll can make it seem as if everyone else is waking up before dawn, crushing workouts and sticking to perfectly planned routines. But real life, as most of us know, rarely follows a highlight reel.
“Motivation isn’t always going to be there, but discipline and having a schedule will,” said Lexi Hartman, a fitness trainer and influencer based on Hilton Head Island.
Lexi’s content on social media tries to reflect her day-to-day fitness routine or lifestyle, rather than exaggerate it for her followers. Her content on Instagram and TikTok highlights her Pilates classes and running club and offers a glimpse into her fitness routines.
“It’s really nice to see so many people posting about all the different things that they do to care for themselves, but I do also think it’s important that we don’t need to adapt to someone else’s entire schedule just because it works for them,” said Hartman.
Expectation vs. reality
As you create your fitness goals, it’s important to find what works best for you and your busy lifestyle. What you don’t see on social media are the rest days which are an essential part of reaching any fitness goal. Your body is like a car — if it’s always running, it’s going to run out of gas.
“There are definitely a lot of unrealistic expectations that you see on social media,” Hartman said, “Even as a trainer who likes to practice what I preach, I don’t work every single day.”
While following a schedule is important to maintain balance, it’s essential to take time to enjoy things that make you happy. A rule that Hartman says is important to follow is the 80/20 rule: 80 percent highly nutritional foods and 20 percent for the occasional sweet treats or salt snacks we all love.
If you’re on vacation, you don’t need to schedule those early morning workouts when you’d rather sleep in. While we might guilt-trip ourselves for indulging or skipping the gym some days, that all won’t make a difference if you have nutritious meals and participation in exercise throughout the week.
“I think it is important to give ourselves some grace and try to kind of look at the bigger picture when it comes to that stuff, which can be hard to do, but it’s definitely a mindset change that can be really helpful,” Hartman said.
