Hello, Fort Myers & Lehigh!
As a fitness expert in our community, I see you. I see the new moms trying to figure out who they are now that their body feels different.
I see the parents who just dropped their youngest off at college, staring at an empty nest and wondering, “What now?”
I see the midlife women being lambasted by menopause (Lord help us!)
I see our aging adults desperately wanting to regain their strength and balance so they age with vitality.
And I see everyone in between, exhausted by the “new year, new me” hype that usually fizzles out by February – wondering how to build sustainable fitness habits that actually stick.
If you are struggling with motivation right now, I have good news: You aren’t doing anything wrong.
Motivation is actually the last thing you should rely on. Motivation sucks. There I said it.
Here is your step-by-step guide to achieving your fitness goals without burning out.
Step 1: Ditch the “Motivation” Myth and Create a “To-Be” List
First, my Gosh, let’s be honest: motivation is unreliable, flaky, and inconsistent. If we only worked out when we felt “inspired,” we’d probably still be on the couch.
Instead of waiting to feel like working out, we need to close the gap between who you are now and who you want to be. A lot of us have a vision of a healthy self, but deep down, we don’t believe we can be that person, so we quit.
The Coastal Fitness Fix: Instead of just a to-do list, write a “To-Be” List.
Don’t just write “Go to gym.”
Write down the qualities you want to embody: “I am disciplined,” “I am energetic,” “I’m strong” or “I am a person who prioritizes my health.”
Every day, align yourself behind those qualities. Even if you miss a workout, ask yourself, “Did I embody these qualities in other ways?” If yes, great. If not, try again tomorrow.
Step 2: Systems Beat Motivation
Take note – no matter what you do during the day, whether you take care of the kids at home or work in an office: your energy is finite. You shouldn’t waste it on low-level decisions. Automate what you can to protect your energy, not to control your life.
The Coastal Fitness Fix: Automation isn’t about being a robot; it’s about removing friction.
Book your classes in advance. Use our booking app to schedule your workouts for the whole month. That way, the decision is already made.
Meal prep or delivery. If nutrition is your struggle, automate your grocery list or use a subscription service so you aren’t staring into the fridge at 6PM wondering what to cook, or impulse buying food at the grocery store when you’re starving.
Set recurring alarms. Taking the thinking out of when you go workout saves your brain power for the things that actually require your emotional presence, like your family or your job.
Step 3: Change the Scope, Not the Goal
This is our favorite rule for women over 40, new moms, and anyone entering a new season of life – whether that’s motherhood, midlife, or retirement. When life gets messy, we usually either push unrealistically hard or give up entirely.
Our rule is: Change the scope, not the goal. Consistency doesn’t mean doing the same intense workout for 60 minutes every single day forever. It means staying aligned with the goal even when your circumstances change.
The Coastal Fitness Fix:
If you planned to do strength training at Coastal Fitness but your baby (or hot flashes) kept you up all night, don’t quit. Come in and give 50% effort. Or go for a 20-minute walk.
We tend to think small efforts don’t count, but doing the “smallest version” of a habit keeps the momentum alive.
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of consistency. A 10-minute stretch is better than zero minutes of movement. It’s not ‘all or nothing.’
Step 4: Design Your Environment for Success
Willpower is overrated. Your behavior has far more to do with your environment than your willpower – if snacks are readily available, you’ll eat them; if your phone is by the bed, you’ll scroll.
The Coastal Fitness Fix: We need to design our spaces to nudge us toward that “To-Be” list.
Pack the bag the night before. Put it right by the door or in the front seat of your car.
Unfollow the noise. If following certain “perfect” fitness influencers makes you feel bad about your progress, unfollow them. Curate a feed that encourages you.
Step 5: Review Before You Spiral
We often wait until we are totally overwhelmed to check in with ourselves. How about we stop letting small things become big problems by scheduling regular “life audits”?
The Coastal Fitness Fix:
Take time – maybe Friday morning or Sunday night – to just look at your week. How did you feel? Where did you struggle? What worked? What didn’t work?
This builds self-trust. Self-trust comes from keeping promises to yourself and knowing you have the control to respond to life. When you review your progress regularly, you prove to yourself that you are in the driver’s seat.
Building Sustainable Fitness Habits in Fort Myers
At Coastal Fitness, our approach to group personal training and functional fitness is built on these exact principles. Whether you’re in Fort Myers or Lehigh Acres, we specialize in helping intimidated beginners – especially women over 40, busy parents, and seniors who want to be more active – create fitness routines that adapt to real life, not the other way around.
We offer personalized support through goals coaching, 1-on-1 nutritional guidance, and group personal training designed to help you build functional movement, lose weight, and reclaim your energy and confidence. That sounds so cliché, but trust us, it’s the truth!
Final Thoughts
We often feel like we need a massive overhaul to fix our lives. But trust us, there is NO January “New Year New You” miracle… you just need to slow down and be strategic about finding a system that works consistently for you.
You want to lose weight for good? You want to build a dream body or, at minimum, a body that functions as it should while you age? Then remember, motivation is overrated. Let’s make this year about consistent, small steps rather than giant leaps that leave us friggen exhausted. I’ll see you at the studio!
Coach Jenn
Owner, Coastal Fitness
12220 Towne Lake Dr.
Fort Myers, FL 33913
Text: 239-237-5508
