Tips to stay on track with your stretching goals

We’ve all been there: at first, you feel a surge of motivation and commitment toward your goal (“I’m going to get my middle split for real this time!”). But then, life starts to get it in the way of training little by little and suddenly you feel like you’ve fallen off track. When this happens, it’s hard to find the motivation to recommit to your goals. You still want your middle split, or chest stand, or just a few more inches toward the ground in your front splits, but now the goal seems farther away than ever. How can you stay motivated and on track with your goals? Jump start your motivation with a few of these tips.

Expect challenges

Nobody’s perfect and it’s very rare that our plans for life go exactly the way we want them to! It’s the same with your journey towards greater flexibility. Remind yourself that challenges will pop up and that you’ll be able to handle those challenges while staying committed to your personal goals. Stretching is for you—so treasure each session as a gift you’re giving yourself. Take time to reflect on your flexibility goals and envision yourself reaching those goals. What does it feel like? Tap into that joy and satisfaction and use it as motivation to carry you through any of the challenges that might stand in your way. Know that you’ve got this.

Remind yourself that everything counts 

Sometimes when you have a goal and you aren’t 110% in pursuit of that goal you feel disappointed in yourself. This all-or-nothing thinking can get in the way of feeling motivated. Don’t worry—you’re not alone! We’ve been there, too. The best way to move past this thinking is to remind yourself that every session counts, even if you aren’t able to do everything you originally planned on.

Let’s say your plan was to take a 30-minute Get Your Splits class followed by 45-minute Bendy Back class. Your day got busy with work and errands, and now you only have 40 minutes left on the clock before you have to head out for your evening plans. Well, it’s easy to think that taking a 15- or 30-minute class now won’t make a difference since you can’t do what you originally wanted to. But your body knows otherwise. Stop and remind yourself: everything counts! 15 minutes is 100% better than nothing. Taking a class right now, without worrying if it’s ‘enough,’ is another step toward your goal to be more flexible. So, catch yourself the next time you feel like it’s all-or-nothing. Ask yourself if you can still sneak in a 15- or 30-minute class.

Also, think about your week and if you can swap out any time-wasters with a stretching session. Have you ever spent time clicking on random links on the internet, only to find that 30 minutes have gone by and you forgot what you were originally doing? Next time, catch yourself before going down the internet rabbit hole. Save that 30 minutes for a Full Body Stretch class!

Schedule a date

Make your stretching sessions official, like you would a meeting at work or a date out on the town. Don’t stand yourself up! Use the calendar in the STRETCHIT App to send yourself reminders. You can also add your stretching sessions to the calendar on your phone, your email, or the print calendar on your desk. Try to pick times that you know you can show up for. If it’s early in the morning—commit. Get out of bed and get moving! If it’s at the end of a long day—commit. Drink a glass of water and lemon to refresh yourself and then get on the mat. Being disciplined with the dates you set for yourself will help you form healthier habits over time, and slowly the motivation won’t be so hard to find.