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Keeping Yourself Accountable

By September 3, 2021No Comments

We all need accountability.  Whether it is internal or external, something needs to help us do the things we know we are supposed to do. This is true in health and fitness, as well as any other part of our life.  For example, we know we should eat healthy, most people have at least a fair idea of how to eat healthy, but we just don’t do it.  Why?  Because we don’t have well defined goals and something to keep us accountable to those goals.  In a past post, we talked about the need to have someone else keep you accountable.  In the gym, this is often the coach.  The Group Coach will keep you accountable to show up to class on a regular consistent basis.  Your private coach operates with even higher accountability when working with you one-on-one.  

Outside of the gym, the IA Community also helps.  You make friends and form relationships at the gym and carry to your regular life.  Your friend in class notices when you haven’t been there and sends you a friendly text or calls you when you haven’t shown up.  

The Hard Truth

However, there is a truth underlying accountability that can be hard to swallow:  No matter how much we work to keep you accountable, it ultimately comes down to you.  We can give you all of the tools, all the alerts, and all of the reminders.  But, it is up to you to make the conscious choice every day to make progress toward your goals.  We share tips in these weekly emails, host a podcast (The Stronger Revolution), text members, call members, meet with members, cheer them on, and help any way we can.  If you haven’t bought into the process, however, it won’t work long term.  

10 Tips for Self Accountability

So, here are 10 tips to help you keep yourself accountable and stop letting yourself down:

  1. Engage in the IA Community:  We want to help you.  If you don’t engage, you are missing out on a big piece of the magic.  
  2. Set reminders on your phone:  You schedule other appointments that you don’t miss.  Treat your workouts the same way.  
  3. Tell a coach when you’re planning to come to class: Put your intentions out into the universe.  It feels great when you tell someone you will do something and then follow through (integrity). 
  4. Print off a calendar, hang it in a visible spot, and cross of the days you hit the gym or stayed true to your nutrition plan: This is a great visual aid. 
  5. Share your story on social media or another public forum:  Again, put it out there into the universe.  Making a claim publicly will make you more likely to keep your word. 
  6. Take progress pics.  You have to remember where you started to see how far you’ve come.  
  7. Set quarterly goal-setting meetings with an accountability buddy:  At Industrial Athletics, we call these Goal Review Sessions.  If you aren’t on our calendar yet, reach out so we can get your first meeting scheduled.  If you aren’t a member at IA, find a friend who needs accountability too, and make quarterly dates to review your progress and goals. 
  8. Constantly remind yourself of your “why”:  You need a purpose behind your goals if you want any chance of accomplishing them. 
  9. Don’t make it all or nothing.  There will be ups and downs:  There will be plateaus.  Don’t let those things knock you off your path.  Keep moving forward. 
  10. Reward yourself for reaching micro-goals:  Break your big goals down into small progress goals.  Now, celebrate EVERY little goal you accomplish.  

Try some of these tips and see what works for you.  If you need hope getting started on your health and wellness path, feel free to contact us.  We would love to meet with you, hear about your goals, and find a way we can help.