Tips to stay motivated in 2026

Research has found that setting goals can significantly help adherence to behaviours, hence why millions resolve to lose weight or turn their health around in each new year.¹ But what happens when motivation starts to wane? We’re sharing our top tips to stay motivated with your health goals so that you can head into 2026 with your best foot forward, and eventually celebrate those wins!

5 tips to stay motivated with your health goals

1. Put time into planning

• Set smart goals: Ensure that your goals are achievable and are healthy for your body. All bodies are different, and what’s best for one person may not be best for you. Then start with small goals to get that reward boost you need to keep going. For example, if you’ve never tried running before, aim towards a 1km-5km, rather than a marathon. Our ‘Get Moving’ exercise plans included in the 12-week programme support members new to exercise and running, in an achievable, progressive way.
• Find your ‘why’: One of our top tips to stay motivated is to focus on why you’re making the goal. Keeping this at the forefront of your mind will keep your eye on the prize and keep you going if motivation drops.
• Find a good plan: A tool that takes care of the planning so you can simply enjoy the journey is invaluable for keeping motivation up long term. The Fast 800 Programme provides helpful meal plans, delicious recipes, automated shopping lists and much more so you can focus on achieving those goals while we take care of the planning.

2. Find a supportive community

• Get friends involved: A top tip to stay motivated if your goal is fitness related is to find a workout partner. In fact, studies have shown that exercising with other people who are also active can boost physical activity motivation.²
• The Fast 800 community: Our exclusive online community is there to help members connect with others who have similar goals or life experiences. It’s there to provide motivation, guidance and moral support on your health journey. Our community includes groups like Men’s Health, Menopause and Blood Sugars & Diabetes.

3. Put your enjoyment first

• Find meals you love: One of our top tips to stay motivated with health goals is to find delicious recipes that you actually enjoy eating. A healthy diet doesn’t need to be a boring one, so gather recipes you love to make and eat that support your health goals. Find a little inspiration from our programme here.
• Find activities and exercise you enjoy: There are plenty of ways to enjoy physical activity, and one tip to stay motivated with exercise is to find one you love. For example, if you don’t enjoy cardio, like running, try low-impact yoga instead. Or if a gym isn’t quite your scene, try a hike in nature instead.
• Make it social: Similarly to finding a fitness buddy, making your new healthy habits sociable can make them more enjoyable. Join a run club rather than running solo, or sign up to a yoga class and make friends if you don’t fancy working out alone. Hanging out with friends along the way to hitting goals is simply a win-win!

4. Track your progress

• If weight loss is your goal, take progress photos: It can be easy to forget how well you’re progressing with weight loss when all you look at are numbers on the scales. Taking progress shots will help you not only feel the difference, but see the difference too.
• Use an online tracker: Logging your progress through an online tracker like the one on The Fast 800 Programme is a great way to keep your progress at the forefront of your mind. There’s nothing quite so good for morale than seeing just how far you’ve come in an easy-to-understand graph.

5. Celebrate!

• Celebrate all achievements: One of our final tips to stay motivated is whether big or small, celebrate all achievements! However a celebration looks to you, make sure to reward yourself for all your hard work.
• Find ways to celebrate that don’t revolve around food: Rewards that don’t set back healthy habits are ideal, so celebrate by buying new clothes, exploring a new town, or catching up with friends. Some of our members have even been known to book holidays to celebrate their newfound confidence in a bathing suit!

Like in all things in life, setbacks may happen but they don’t need to take you back to the beginning. The key to continued motivation when it comes to long-term goals is to forgive yourself for any slip-ups and just keep going.

For more tools and tips to stay motivated, head to The Fast 800 Programme.