Be honest. How many times have you tried to change your eating or exercise habits, only for you to fall back into your old routines in a matter of weeks?

With the New Year fast approaching, fitness and health remain the priority for those committing to resolutions, with the results of a 2015 ComRes poll for Bupa showing that 35% of respondents wanted to lose weight, 33% wished to get fitter, and 31% wanted to eat more healthily.

But how long do these commitments last?

For most of us, there is one key element missing from commitment that ensures we’ll fail each and every time. Organisation.

Whether it’s forgetting to wash your gym kit or nipping to McDonald’s because you didn’t do a food shop, there are a multitude of mantras for quitting a fitness push that all essentially boil down to disorganisation.

Health and fitness are about more than just our bodies. Getting organised can give us the focus and purpose to really drill down into what’s important, and getting it together in these basic areas can help us to get focused and start to see real changes in both our daily life and long-term fitness goals.

Just like the effects a cluttered desk can have on your workday, the same can be said for the clutter of past habits. Organising your spaces can be the first step to your commitment to a lifestyle change.

Organise your kitchen – Getting into a routine of going food shopping ensures your cupboards are stocked, and you know what you’ll be eating for the week. This type of dietary planning saves you the Friday night scramble of having nothing to cook and ordering a takeaway instead. That’s not to say we shouldn’t treat ourselves, but having a rough idea of the week’s meal plans means we’re less likely to succumb to those chips, cheese, and gravy less often than we would.

Organise your wardrobe – The number of times I’ve gone to work out, only to find I haven’t done the laundry, is ridiculous. Get your gear ready! If you’ve got a spare drawer free, dedicate it to your workout wardrobe. It’s a great way to collate your activewear and keep tabs on when you need to put a wash on instead of having it all spaced out across your wardrobes and drawers: it makes for an easier way to grab-and-go when your schedule is tight.

Organise your gym bag – Having your gym bag prepped means you’re good to go at all times. Having clean gym clothes ready-packed (and anything you else you need for a successful workout such as hair ties, locker padlock, and water bottle) means your planned visit to the gym will go a lot smoother, meaning you’re more likely to stick to your fitness plan. If you’re running late for work, the last thing you want to do is try to locate a clean pair of gym socks: keeping a bag prepped means you just need to grab it before racing out the door.

Organise your schedule – This one’s a lot easier said than done, but missing a workout or forgetting to do a food shop boils down to a hectic schedule. We use our calendars to schedule work meetings or a friend’s birthday dinner, so why not for working out? Setting reminders or physically writing it down in your journal makes our plan seem real and makes us less likely to duck out by holding ourselves accountable for our planned activity.

Organise your mind – If you’re one of those people who has a tough time exercising or sticking to eating healthily, sometimes organisation starts with having some difficult conversations with yourself. Reflection – either through meditation or yoga – does wonders for the mind, and allows you some much needed ‘me time’ away from the distractions of life. Just ten minutes in the morning, afternoon, or just before bed can lead to the clarity we need to change our mindset for the better.

What ways do you stay organised? I’d love to know what works for you!

GET ORGANISED. THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL HEALTHY LIVING