Why You Keep Putting Off Your Fitness Goals (And How to Finally Follow Through)

Tyona Vallejo: Hello and welcome to Enough In Evolving Podcast. I'm your host, Tyona Vallejo, master certified life coach and mindfulness expert, helping you reclaim confidence, break through unhelpful patterns and manifest the relationships and life you desire. Now let's get started. Hey, welcome back to the podcast. So glad to have you here today. we are approaching the end of 2026. Have you noticed? We're in the final quarter of the year. And some of you may have had some fitness goals that you haven't been able to complete. I know for myself, I had a goal to go to the physical therapist and strengthen my wrist. I was having some issues with my wrist. And I had been putting it off, putting it off, and finally I pulled the trigger. I scheduled my first appointment and actually showed up and did my first physical therapy. so that is what inspired this episode today. Today's podcast is to remind you That it's never too late, and to give you a five-step system to follow through on your own fitness goals. A lot of clients that come to me want to get more physically fit. They want to take better care of their bodies, feel better overall. One of the first questions that I ask them is: what are you currently doing? And what Do you want to do more of? Usually they're doing some kind of movement, maybe some walking or occasional yoga or Pilates class, but they haven't been as consistent as they like to be. If this sounds like you, here's what I typically suggest. First, get clear on why. you want to add more movement. Maybe you want to lose a few pounds or just increase your energy or mood. Or maybe it's a combination of both or something completely different. Whatever your why is, this is your driving force, your anchor to showing up even on the days it feels hard. Now, once you have your why, then you can create a measurable goal. If you have a measurable goal, then you'll be able to truly see your progress over time. So this might look like decreasing a dress size or a pant size or increasing muscle strength. Andor maybe improving energy in, let's say, a 12-week period. Create a specific goal, desire, and attach the timeline to that goal and desire. Now that you have a specific goal in mind, then you can track your progress. The next step is to create a plan that will help you get started. This is where I generally help my clients figure out. What activity aligns with their personality and schedule? Now, if you aren't necessarily a gym person and you're trying to force yourself to go to the gym, this will not be sustainable. The point is to create a plan that creates a lifestyle that supports your goals. That way you will follow through. And it will be sustainable even after your goal is accomplished. Now, once you decide on the activity, whether that's swimming, running, hiking, Pilates, yoga, weight training, or a combination of whatever you like, then you can create a schedule. this part is extremely important. Because most of the time people have a grand plan in their head to exercise three to five times a week. They'll feel excited, motivated about this idea of exercising more and staying consistent. But then they'll get to the end of the week and find they haven't hit their goal, which typically leaves them feeling bad about themselves and frustrated that they aren't able to make it happen. Sound familiar? If so, this doesn't mean anything's wrong with you. It doesn't mean that you're not disciplined or that you're even incapable of achieving your exercise goals. You simply haven't scheduled the plan to execute it successfully. If you were my client, I would have you decide the exact days and times that you are going to exercise. including the specific activity and length of time. That way you plug it into your calendar. It's not just a hope or a wish or a plan. There's actually a time allotted to this action. You see, if it's not scheduled, you're not going to follow through. Why? Because it's a new habit and our brains are wired to do what is familiar, not more. So even though adding a new exercise routine might sound amazing. Your brain will naturally want to revert back to what it knows best. For instance, if you think, I'll just exercise after work, but you come home and your general habit is to sit on the sofa and scroll, then your brain will make all the excuses why the current activity of sofa and scrolling is so much better in that moment than exercise. Your brain will say, I've had a hard day. I'm just too tired. Maybe tomorrow. However, if you decide you're going to a Pilates class two times a week and you schedule it on your calendar and sign up, then you'll be more likely to follow through and attend. Therefore, step three is Create the plan and schedule it into your calendar. When I was training for a half marathon, I scheduled the training days into my calendar so that I made the time to follow through. If I wouldn't have scheduled that and I would have just said, I'll run sometime this week, my brain would have said, maybe tomorrow. No, maybe tomorrow. Don't feel like it today, maybe tomorrow. However, by plugging it into my calendar, I was able to keep up with the targeted schedule and increase my miles over time, allowing me to complete the half marathon. So whether you use an electronic calendar or a physical calendar, just make sure that you honor your goal by scheduling your exercise into the calendar. Now, step four is Is reducing decision fatigue. Again, your brain wants to conserve energy. It wants to find the path to least resistance. If you have to rummage around and find your athletic shoes, search for your yoga mat, or try to pick out an outfit before your exercise, there's a big chance your brain will want to skip it. and revert to the sofa and scrolling. Not because you're a lazy person, but because that's how our brains have been wired to reduce energetic fatigue. Therefore, in order for you to follow through on your plan, And schedule it. it can be extremely helpful for you to set out your gear in advance. so let's say you have a morning run planned, then set out your running shoes and outfit the night before. That way when you wake up, you simply slip on your gear. And don't get stuck in any kind of decision fatigue. Lastly, step five is to celebrate weekly. That means if you followed through two times out of five you had planned, then celebrate it. You show up two times more than you hadn't at all. Give yourself credit. Nothing comes from diminishing your efforts. The universal law of increase states that what you give your attention and creation to will grow in increase. If you're focusing on what is working, what is going well, and then you will continue to grow and get better. Progress over perfection wins the race. So let's recap. These are the five steps to following through on your exercise goal. Step one, know your why. This is your motivation. This is your anchor. Step two, create a measurable goal. This allows you to see your progress over time. Step three, create a plan and schedule it into your calendar. This allows you to follow through. Step four, reduce. Decision fatigue. This provides you with the support you need when your mind wants to make up all the excuses and jump ship. Step five, celebrate. This will help you stay on track and move towards your goal. I'd love to hear what your goal is for the end of the year, whether that's a physical fitness goal or something else. So reach out, send me an email or DM. Me on Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to connect and root you on. Best of luck. And if you're looking for additional support and guidance to help keep you on track towards any of your goals, I'd love to coach you. Reach out for a consultation. The link to schedule is in the show notes. Thanks again for spending time with me today. And as always, you are enough and you are evolving. Have a great week. See you next time. If you're listening to this and you're recognizing yourself in these patterns, this is exactly the work I do inside my coaching. This isn't something you have to figure out alone. If you're ready to feel more confident, grounded, and self-trusting, I'd love to support you. Check out the show notes to book a consultation coaching call today.