How to Stay Accountable in 2012

While asking myself how I will stay accountable in 2012 with my workouts and healthy eating, I've decided to share my personal tips and goals with you guys as well so we can all stay on track past January.

1. Download an app on your smart phone to keep track of your food and exercises. I have the app "Lose It" and "Map My Run" on my phone to keep track of what I eat daily and how many calories I am burning on my trail runs. Obviously this only works as well as the amount of effort you put into it, but if you get into a daily routine about logging down your exercises and food you are sure to see results. Don't lie to the app and say you only had 10 chips, when you really had 20. Use it to your advantage to help you make smart decisions! This app has helped me say no to desserts while out to dinner and making meal selections. Sometimes we think a salad is a healthy choice, but after logging in all of our toppings and dressings it may surprise you that a salad can easily be calorie dense.

2. Pack your lunch and gym bag the night before. Let's face it. We all love pushing the snooze button on the alarm. The more you have to do in the mornings, the less likely you will be to complete it. The night before take out your dirty clothes from your gym bag and stuff it with new ones before you have a chance to forget. Make sure your shower stuff is in there along with fresh socks and your tennis shoes. Don't forget your headphones either! Pre-make a huge bowl of salad for the week or a healthy soup to take to work. Stock up on fruits and veggies that are easy to throw into your lunch box. This way you can easily pack your lunch without wondering what to take!

3. Plan your weekly schedule each Sunday. Look at your schedule for the upcoming week and plan at least 3 days to go to the gym and 1-2 days where you will hold yourself accountable to work out at home. Call your friends and see what their schedule looks like for the week. Having a workout partner always helps to hold me accountable at the gym.

4. Find a gym near you! Some of us are just unable to wake up an extra hour early in the mornings and drag after a long day of work. If this is the case for you, find a gym near your work. This allows you to go during your lunch break or after work. For me, it's hard to drag myself to the gym after I get home. I'd rather spend my night with my pups and family. By finding a gym near work, I am giving myself a mental break and getting my workout out of the way!

5. Don't get discouraged. Just because you have one off day where you eat crappy or don't have time to fit a work out in, that doesn't give you an excuse to continue that habit the next day. Pick yourself back up and start fresh!

6. Search for new recipes! I know that searching Pinterest or Whole Foods website for new healthy recipes helps me plan my meals for the week. I find a list of 5 new recipes and write down all the ingredients I'll need, that way I make sure to grab them at the grocery store. 

Hopefully these tips will help you stay accountable in 2012! I'm planning on including them all into my daily routine.