Being Accountable

I’ve mentioned previously that my 2016 is all about short-term goal setting, taking my long-term goals and tackling them through a short-term lens. For example, in March I set (and met!) a goal regarding nutrition. Conquering a 30-day plan left me feeling accomplished, satisfied and successful. Not only that, I was anxiously anticipating the next challenge. That’s the beauty about something short term – motivation rarely has time to drop because 3 days goes by in a quick minute.

Regardless of your approach to goal setting, one thing is universal; goals cannot be met without accountability. Being accountable means being responsible for decisions made or actions taken. Sounds simple, but it really isn’t. When it comes to your personal health and fitness it is so easy to make excuses and blame something or someone else for our shortcomings.

“I don’t have time to workout” 

“I’m too tired”

“I had a hard day, I deserve this cocktail…and this pizza…and ice cream”

“Gyms and classes are too expensive”

Sound familiar? When you make an excuse you’re not being responsible. Blaming something or someone else for missed opportunities or failures isn’t being accountable or doing yourself any favors for that matter.

So…how do hold yourself accountable?

Know Your “Why?”

Why is accomplishing this goal important to you? How will it ultimately improve your life? If you don’t have a compelling answer you’ve either set your goal for the wrong reason or it’s not important enough to you. If you don’t see the value in whatever you’re setting out to do you will have no problem sacrificing it. Knowing your why changes your mindset.

Prioritize

I mean, duh. Nothing gets accomplished with a disheveled schedule. You have to make time, schedule your workouts, your meal planning, whatever you want; you have to make the time for it. If you don’t make the time, it’s not a priority. If it’s not a priority, revisit your why.

Knowledge is Power

Educating yourself will help strengthen your “why.” If you know the benefits of regular exercise, eating healthy and proper recovery, wouldn’t you do more of it? Different foods, methods of training and dietary habits affect the body differently. Understand your body, know the impact different kinds of nutrition and training have and arm yourself with information that will help you reach success. Whenever I’m lacking motivation I think about the effect a workout will have on my body.

I’ll look better.

I’ll feel better.

I’ll be in a better mood.

I’ll be more creative and focused.

That’s enough to get my a** out the door.

Get Help

Surround yourself with resources that will help you get to where you want go. You may have heard of accountability buddies, someone that helps make sure you meet your commitments. But really, the only person who can help you…is you. Tracking your progress via workout apps, a handwritten journal or log, or other device helps you identify patterns in your behavior, areas for improvement and act as a daily motivator. I recently was introduced to the Moto 360 Sport Watch which has helped me view my workouts in a new light.

The Moto 360 Sport is built with fixed silicone band, a GPS tracker, and a display that reads crystal clear in direct sunlight. A step above most fitness trackers, this smart watch sends calendar reminders of scheduled workouts, performance notifications and syncs recaps of your workout with your android. Wireless headphones connect to my Spotify playlists so I never have to pause to adjust cords or recover from the embarrassment of yanking my headphones out of my own ears during a forward row or kettle bell swing. I can’t be the only one that happens to.

For me, the most beneficial capability is the heart rate monitor. Just when I’m about to cut myself some slack, I know that recap will be a hard dose of reality reminding me I didn’t push myself as hard as I could have, leaving me that much further from what I want to achieve. Think an android operating device has nothing to do with an iPhone user? False! Android Wear is compatible with your iPhone. How easy is that? If you’re in Chicago, swing by the Moto Shop to learn more!

At the end of the day, true success doesn’t come from any outside source, but rather from within. It’s not only possible to create your future, but it’s necessary. Reflect, plan and make your goals your reality.

It’s probably no secret that Motorola reached out to me and tricked me out with a Moto X Pure Edition phone and a Moto 360 Sport Watch. I chose to write about it because I love it. Also, that phone takes pictures that are CRISP and clear AF. My insta feed is forever changed.