Whether you have a weight loss goal you’re aiming to achieve, or you simply want to get fitter in your general health and wellbeing, there’s no denying that the whole process can seem like a mountain to climb. You will have days where you simply can’t be bothered, weeks where the scales don’t seem to move, and moments where you wonder whether it’s all worth it, but the key is to overcome those wobbles and power on towards your goal.

When you have those moments of ‘what am I doing this for?’ then it’s important to have a few tricks up your sleeve to enable you to overcome them, and to stop you giving in because the road seems a little too long at that moment in time.

If this sounds like a familiar situation to you, here’s five ways you can challenge yourself to stay on that road to better fitness.

Set goals

Having an aim to work towards which isn’t so big is the best way to push yourself forward. For instance, your overall fitness goal is obviously the big one, but that may seem like a mountain during wobble moments, so you need to have a smaller, more achievable goal in mind. Small goals all add up to a major achievement. For instance, tell yourself that this week you’re going to do x amount of jogging miles, and make it an achievable number. You will feel a real sense of achievement when you meet it.

Have a fitness buddy

Having a work out buddy is a great way to motivate yourself, because if he or she is out jogging, you’re going to feel like you have to in order to keep up! A little healthy competition in this case is a good thing. Equally, having someone you can call when you’re on the cusp of giving in could be the difference between you quitting and carrying on.

Track your progress

Being able to visually see that you’re making leaps forward is a huge boost, so download a fitness tracker app on your phone, or buy a pedometer. Being able to see something on a screen makes it real and can push you forward to carry on.

Turn up the music

Distraction is key when you’re reaching a metaphorical brick wall, so make a playlist of songs that keep you moving and put in your earphones as you do whatever form of physical activity it is you’re focusing on. Having a distraction will mean you can work out for longer, without focusing on the burn, or the boredom.

Give yourself a reward

Just like we talked about setting small goals in order to reach a bigger one, having a reward to look forward to when you have achieved that goal will make you more likely to want to keep going to meet it. It could be a chocolate bar that you’ve denied yourself all week, or it could be an outing to the cinema, basically whatever works for you.

Throw these five ideas into your fitness mix and you’ll find yourself achieving your goals much easier.