A large percentage of people give up on their fitness plans by February, but there is no reason to let this statistic include you. Whatever you do, don’t forget about the fitness goals you achieved in January, instead bask in your triumphs and use them as motivation to maintain your healthy habits, pushing through any setbacks to become a stronger person. Here at Forever Living, this is what we call ‘being resolute’, and with this in mind, we have put together a few ideas to help you stay on track with your fitness plans throughout February and beyond.

Keep track with the Forever F.I.T. app

Your smartphone could be the perfect solution to helping you get on track and fulfil your fitness goals, especially when completing the C9 or F15 programmes. Research shows that people who track their progress have a much higher success rate when it comes to achieving goals, and this is because it’s much easier to maintain motivation if you can see your progress. That’s exactly why we developed the free and easy-to-use F.I.T. app, so why don’t you download it today from the App Store or Google Play? If you’re not a fan of technology, start recording your training in a notebook and look back on it when motivation is low – you’ll be amazed at how much you have achieved.

Make fitness a regular part of your life

People sometimes go off track because once they reach their main fitness goal, they don't maintain their efforts, but if you do this you will quickly find yourself back to square one. Instead, it’s important to make permanent changes to your lifestyle that lead to you becoming a healthier person. If you have a good day and you’ve just finished a hardcore gym session, you may be tempted to treat yourself to a square of chocolate as a reward, but this mindset suggests that your workout is still something you see as a novelty. Instead you need to think of exercise as permanent change to make yourself look and feel better. If you do this, you won’t think of food as a treat, because the way you exercise and eat is just a routine part of your daily life.

Have more self-belief

Sometimes we could really do with someone reminding us that there is no such thing as ‘I can’t’. This is a big challenge when it comes to fitness goals, as you must believe you can do it in order to really try. We also don’t compliment ourselves enough for the progress we make along the way; even if we haven’t hit our fitness goal, if progress has been made, it should be appreciated. Stay with the mentality ‘I’m going to continue this, no matter what it takes’ and tell yourself you are awesome when you do!

Set aside time for fitness

Sometimes it can be hard to find the time to make your fitness plans work. Family commitments, grocery shopping and the office can all get in the way and hinder your good intentions, making you feel as if you’ve failed. If this sounds familiar, you may just have to shift your schedule around. Block out some time in your diary each week and stick to it – it will eventually become a habit and you'll find it easier to stay motivated and head to the gym.

You could even make your fitness plans more manageable by breaking down your exercise into five-minute sessions. Just remember, fitness doesn’t have to take hours and hours, it just takes careful planning. The Forever F.I.T. Programme could help you here: the full programme is broken down into five easy-to-follow stages – C9, F15 Beginner, F15 Intermediate, F15 Advanced and Vital5 – but each of these programmes is broken down further into a manageable structure with a clear schedule and fitness ideas.

Don’t take on fitness alone

Another way to help you stay on track with your fitness is to exercise with a friend. According to research commissioned by Virgin Active, people who work out with friends often train for longer and burn more calories, and 25% of the survey participants even admitted that they enjoy having someone else to compete against. Similarly, a study by Stanford University revealed that when they instructed a pair of participants to plank, they would only stop planking when their partner stopped. Results indicated that those who worked in this way could plank 200% longer than those who were working out completely alone. This way of exercising is also far more enjoyable and it will make you think twice before skipping a session – no one wants to disappoint a friend who is waiting for you at the gym! The same is also true for group exercise classes and most local gyms publish their schedules for the week ahead so make note of the times and #BeResolute.