Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of the 8 Week Challenge! Over the last 8 weeks, you’ve brought the focus back to your health and fitness goals and worked on creating healthy habits around your training, nutrition and lifestyle. So where to from here? Now is the time to look forward and plan the next stage of your health and fitness journey. Let’s take a look at how you can maintain your results long term, while working towards achieving exciting new goals in the future.
Reflect on your goals and set new ones
Revisit the goals that you set in week 1 of the challenge and take the time to reflect on the last 8 weeks. This isn’t the time to be hard on yourself, it’s an opportunity to learn and grow. Did you achieve your goals? What worked well for you and what did you enjoy? What didn’t work and what did you struggle with? What did you learn throughout your journey? By answering these simple questions, you can use this information to help you set new goals for the future. Consider both short term and long term goals. If you’ve achieved your goal weight, you might like to consider some performance-based goals, such as completing a fun run or squatting your bodyweight.
Create a sustainable routine
Once you’ve set new goals, consider how you are going to achieve them. It may not be realistic to maintain the same level of focus on your health and fitness as you did during the challenge, so take a look at a routine that is sustainable for you long term. If you’re not sure where to start, try answering the following… How many times will you workout per week? What types of training will you do (Eg. resistance training, group fitness, PT, playing sport, walking the dog)? What will your recovery look like? What will you add in for fun to keep things interesting? Now take a look at your schedule and plan out your next 4 weeks. Remember to be realistic and try not to over-commit. If you’d like assistance with creating a routine, we recommend consulting a Personal Trainer.
Get on top of your nutrition
Now that your 8 week nutrition plan is coming to an end, there are many ways that you can continue to eat healthy. Your ongoing nutrition plan should meet your health and fitness goals while providing the fuel you need to get through your day. We recommend saving your favourite recipes from the challenge so that you can continue to use them. Master the skill of meal preparation to ensure you always have a healthy meal ready to go (check out our meal prep article from week 2). If you struggle to fit meal prep into your busy schedule, consider subscribing to a healthy meal delivery service such as My Muscle Chef to take the hassle out of cooking. If you’re looking for a more tailored nutrition solution, we recommend consulting a nutritionist or dietitian.
Support
One of the benefits of the 8 Week Challenge is social accountability and being able to connect with like-minded people in a supportive community. So how do you find the support you need once the challenge ends? Get social! Consider connecting with your new challenge friends on social media so that you can continue to support each other and train together. Personal Training is also a fantastic way to keep up your motivation and receive regular support and guidance. The team in club are also there to help support you in any way they can, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Fitness is about the journey, not the destination... So as you near the end of your 8 Week Challenge, reflect on all that you’ve achieved over the last 8 weeks as you prepare for the next phase of your journey. We look forward to seeing what you can achieve next!