Becoming Accountable: The Ultimate Wellness Hack

Unsplash - CC0 License

If you talk to people who make sustained improvements to their health and wellness, you'll often find that accountability is at the core of their strategy. They know that if somebody else is watching them and monitoring what they're doing, they're much more likely to achieve their objectives.

How can you become more accountable when moving towards your wellness goals? It's more difficult than you think. Many people believe that the missing ingredient is willpower, but that's not the case. It's more to do with who's surrounding you and the type of emotions that you're experiencing.

Think about what it's like when you start a new health kick on a Monday morning. You feel highly motivated and you're ready to go, but then something goes wrong at work on Tuesday, and by Thursday you're exhausted and don't want to go to the gym anymore. This is a perfectly understandable human reaction, but it's also something that you can engineer your way out of. You don't have to be at the whims of how you feel, especially when you have an accountability system in place. 

Here's what to do:

Shift away from an all-or-nothing mindset

One of the most important things you can do to improve your accountability when you're on a wellness kick is to shift from an all-or-nothing mindset to the idea that it's okay to do just something, even if it's a minor thing. Perfectionism is one of the biggest accountability killers out there.

We live in an imperfect world, and nobody can achieve the perfect routine, even people who appear to have the most impressive physiques in the world. Even they miss out on workouts or eat slices of pizza from time to time. The problem is that if these breaks in your routine make you think that you've completely failed, you'll blame yourself and incorporate it into your identity, which is one of the most destructive things you can do.

Instead of thinking about your workout and everything that you need to get accomplished, it's a much better idea to apply habits around your workout routines. For example, the goal could be simply to put your trainers on and walk out the door once you've done that. Most people will then take the necessary actions to go to the gym.

You can also forgive yourself for missing one day of exercise. Skipping a single workout is often just part of life, but missing two days in a row means that you're probably starting a bad habit, and that's something you'll want to interrupt as early as you can.

Automate decisions

Becoming accountable is also about automating decisions. When you remove choices from the equation, you don't have to decide every single morning whether you're going to exercise or eat healthily or not.

Many people who are successful with their health and wellness routines become more like the CEOs of their lives. Instead of debating with themselves about whether to do something, they simply schedule it into their day and go through the motions.

If it's possible to become more uniform in your daily actions, that's also useful. For example, if you lay out your clothes the night before, it can act as a prompt or a trigger to get you to take the action the next day to get going.

Most people are productive between Monday and Wednesday, so meal-prep the exact same lunches on these days. Make sure that you're eating healthily during the first part of the week when your willpower is strongest.

Train with others

If you have the opportunity, it's a good idea to train with other people. Not only does it improve accountability, but it also turns working out into more of a social event. Training with others provides you with the support you need to be at your best. It also gives you a reason beyond physical activity and health to get moving.

If you feel like you need instruction with other people, then join group personal training workouts. These tend to be more affordable while allowing you to improve your technique and form.

You could also join sports teams and clubs, especially if you're somebody who likes the competitive aspect of training. These allow you to hone your skills and develop real friendships with people over the long term.

Put some skin in the game

Another way to become more accountable is to literally put some skin in the game. Nothing makes you want to do something more than the threat of losing your hard-earned cash.

For example, you could prepay for classes ahead of time, forcing yourself to go to them, or go to a class that charges a $20 no-show fee. When you do this, it gives you a financial incentive to work toward your fitness goals.

Another tactic is to use online platforms that allow you to stake real money to meet your goals. If you don't stick to your habit, these apps will often donate the money you paid to charity.

Pick a witness

Finally, if you want to become more accountable, it's a good idea to go to one friend and pick a witness. This person is somebody who will support you but won't let you off the hook if you fail to meet your nutrition or exercise goals.

A witness is somebody you text every day to tell them that you've completed a specific habit. For example, you might send them a photo of you at the gym, or you might take a picture of your food. Try to avoid the temptation to make your witness your social media audience. Announcing to the world your fitness plans can actually backfire because it rewards your brain for thinking that you've already completed them. It's a bit like when people announce their business plans but don't carry through.

So there you have it, some of the ways you can become more accountable during your next health kick. Which of these methods and strategies are you going to try?