I doubt this is a well kept secret – nutrition and working out are good for you, and the best results come from using both together. If we all know this then why don’t we follow it? Why do we focus on one and ignore the other? Why do we need nutrition challenges to remind us eating Oreos every night isn’t good for us?

Knowing something and doing it are two different things, and the difference is accountability. Yes I know sitting on my phone playing a game isn’t productive or a good habit, but it’s not a PROBLEM until my spouse catches me doing it when I complain how busy I’ve been all day. We don’t want to let people down who count on us, we will make sure we show up for them even when we wouldn’t do it for ourselves.

But why won’t we do it for ourselves? Why do we consider it a problem to not train when we have a team competition coming up but have no problem skipping the gym one day because it’s slightly inconvenient? Why do we rank other people ahead of ourselves?

Having accountability helps with getting started, helps build the new habit of showing up even when it’s hard. A support team can help keep you going and who doesn’t need a little encouragement sometimes? At Eclipse we check in with new members regularly, make sure they’re keeping up with their stretching and mobility to fight off soreness and keep coming back in to work through it. We know that continually staying in contact keeps us at the front of their mind and encourages (or guilts) them into coming in when they might have skipped that day.

But after that habit is built, the accountability comes down to you and you alone. I’m willing to bet Bentz doesn’t need me texting him asking how large his sweat angel will be tomorrow for him to come workout. We will always be here to cheer you on and celebrate your successes, even when you leave a sweaty but less than stellar review of the workout in the parking lot afterwards.

So here are the top 10 tips to keep yourself accountable:

1. Drink the Kool Aid. Join the community! We are here to make you better, not just in CrossFit but in everything you do. Why wouldn’t you want to hang out with these people all the time!
2. Make appointments for workouts and nutrition. There are multiple classes a day, but schedule with yourself which exact class you’re going to attend. Putting it in your calendar commits you to coming. Do the same with grocery shopping and meal prep. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. SO PLAN AHEAD!
3. Tell someone what class you’re coming to. Tell Nate you’ll see him again tomorrow at 5:30am, tell Kam you’ll see her at noon class. Tell your buddy the next day you plan on coming. Verbalizing your plan makes it more concrete and more likely you’ll stick with it.
4. Print off a calendar and mark off days you stick to your plan. Seeing the full month and how many days you made it to the gym visually shows yourself your successes and encourages you to keep with it. Consider it an adult sticker chart, they work for a reason.
5. Share your story on social media. Catching a theme here? 
6. Document your progress. No one wants photos of the beginning, but seeing the difference between where you started and where you are now can be huge motivation. 
7. Set quarterly goals and plan for success. We’d love to sit down with you and help you figure out your goals and how to achieve them!
8. Remember your why. Yes working out is great and good for your body but WHY does that matter? You want to improve your golf game? You want to really play with your grandkids? You want to be able to carry your chunk of an infant up the stairs and still be able to sing their lullaby without wheezing for air? We are here to improve your LIFE through fitness.
9. Steps back don’t kill the progress. It’s not all smooth sailing and forward movement after Day 1, there will be tough days and there will be weeks you feel like you’re back at square one. We promise you aren’t.
10. Reward yourself! Remember that adult sticker chart idea? They are stables for children because they work! And part of the process is getting a reward when you’ve achieved something. Set smaller goals that build up to your ultimate goal. You want to improve your nutrition? Reward yourself for sticking with your plan for one week. It’s not always about the end goal, the consistency and work are worth celebrating too!

Not everyone operates the same, I can get our middle child to help with chores in exchange for a quarter while our oldest will tell me her piggy bank is full she doesn’t need a quarter. Find out what works for YOU. Understand too that it might change for different goals or different seasons of life. That quarter becomes a lot more important when she wants a new princess dress.

Whatever your motivation style, at Eclipse we want to keep you working hard for success. Schedule a time to meet with a coach and figure out your next goals and how we can help you achieve them! Nate might even have a gold star for you at the meeting.