10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making Fitness and Nutrition Changes

Starting a new fitness journey can be fun and exciting but can also feel overwhelming. We want people to set themselves up for success when making this change. In doing so, it’s important to ask yourself some questions that can help you outline your process to ensure that you’re ready to make lasting changes. 

1- Why?

You have to understand the motivation behind you wanting to make a change. Even if the answer is something simple like wanting to lose 10lbs, take some time to reflect on why it’s important to you to lose 10lbs. How would that make you feel differently or would it build confidence or do you think it would give you more energy. 

2- What are my specific goals? 

Most people struggle with their goals because they don’t know how to outline goals that are clear to them. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound (SMART). Instead of saying you want to lose weight, say I want to lose 10lbs over the next 10 weeks. This helps paint a better picture for your path. 

3- What are potential obstacles?

Do you have travel coming up or maybe you realize you don’t know how to cook healthy food. Maybe you’ve struggled with late night cravings in the past. Acknowledge all of these and try to create a plan for each thing. 

4- How much time can I commit to each week?

Be honest with yourself. Don’t have a plan to work out twice a day each day only to realize that doesn’t work with your job or family commitments. Can you set aside 3 1 hour blocks for workouts then 1-2 hours a week to prep your healthy food? Whatever that amount it, find it and stick to it. 

5- Am I prepared to make small sustainable changes? 

Small changes done consistently unlock superpowers in the long run. The path to changing health isn’t quick or linear, both of which can make things mentally challenging. The people who often succeed give themselves a large amount of time to hit their goals. It looks easy to others because they never stress time crunches with goals. 

6- Who supports me in this?

Having people around you that support you can be a catalyst to making big changes. It’s important to recognize if the people closest to you support your goals. Before starting, it’s a good move to discuss with people closest to you (spouse, family members, friends, coworkers) what you’re trying to accomplish and how they can support you during the time. 

7- What has or hasn’t worked for me in the past?

If buying home gym equipment and workout tapes didn’t help in the past, a new piece of equipment or home routine might not be the answer. Understanding what hasn’t worked is a great tool because you can eliminate a lot of potential ideas. 

8- Do I understand basics of fitness and nutrition? 

Online accounts have made this harder each day. There are people that say oatmeal is bad for you and causing your health issues. A coach can help streamline this process. Even if you don’t want to hire a coach full time, finding someone you can learn from to apply their ideas can pay huge dividends in helping create a plan for you. 

9- How will I track and measure progress? 

We often only use the scale to measure progress with fitness and nutrition goals, but there are many other ways that could be more beneficial for you. We use markers like blood labs, sleep quality, energy levels, how clothes fit, using more weight on an exercise or performing more repetitions. The more indicators you can have the better for long term growth. 

10- Am I ready to invest in my health?

This investment can include time, money, and effort. Investments in your wellness are difficult to recognize at times because unlike buying a new phone, we don’t possess something immediately. What you begin to realize is you save money on less time off from work, less junk food purchases, lower insurance costs, and less on reactive measures to keep you from being ill. An investment in yourself always has the highest return, but you have to be ready and comfortable with that investment. 

When you answer these questions honestly, you can see the outline of your journey. If it looks like difficult roads ahead, start with even smaller steps. You have the rest of your life to adjust your plan as you go. If after answering the 10 questions you feel like you could use some guidance, schedule a meeting HERE with one of our coaches to see how we can help. 

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