10 Fun, Real-Life Ways to Hold Yourself Accountable (and Actually Stick to Your Goals)
Discover 10 proven ways to hold yourself accountable, build healthy habits, and stay consistent with your fitness and nutrition goals.
By
July 9, 2025
If I asked you whether eating healthy foods is important, you’d probably say, “Well yeah, obviously.”
And if I asked whether exercise matters for living a good, strong, healthy life — you’d say yes again.
So… why do we struggle to consistently do it?
Why do we let one of those (or both) fall to the side until something forces us to pay attention — like getting winded on a single flight of stairs or hearing some tough news from the doc?
Here’s the deal:
In working with hundreds of awesome, busy, everyday people at Deep Roots Fitness, we’ve learned this — the secret isn’t some fancy diet or magic workout.
It’s accountability.
We’ll skip our own workout, but heaven forbid we let a friend down if we promised to meet them at the gym. We bail on our own goals, but somehow always find time for work, chores, and errands for everyone else.
The problem is — every time we break a promise to ourselves, it chips away at our confidence. We slowly start believing we’re the kind of person who doesn’t follow through.
Good news: it doesn’t have to be that way.
Accountability can be learned, built, and practiced like any other skill. That’s where our Deep Roots community comes in.
We’re here to check in, send you those “where have you been?!” texts, celebrate your milestones, and call you out (nicely) when you disappear. The crew you sweat with, laugh with, and get stronger with — they notice and CARE when you’re not there.
But here’s where we have to be honest with you:
At the end of the day, it’s on you.
We’ll cheer you on, we’ll back you up, but you’ve got to buy in for it to stick long term.
So how do you actually stay accountable and stop ghosting your own goals?
I'm glad you asked! Here are 10 tried-and-true ways to keep yourself in the game:
1️⃣ Get Involved in the Community.
We want you here. And it’s not just because it’s our job — it’s because it works. The people you see in class become your biggest supporters. Who doesn’t want a hype squad cheering you on every time you show up?
2️⃣ Set Phone Reminders for Everything.
Schedule your workouts like doctor’s appointments. Set a timer to start cooking dinner before you end up panic-ordering pizza. Treat your fitness and food choices like they actually matter. (Because they do.)
3️⃣ Tell a Coach When You’re Coming.
When you say it out loud, you’re way more likely to follow through. Bonus: we’ll probably ask how it went the next day. 😉
4️⃣ Use a Visual Tracker.
Print a calendar, hang it on your fridge, and cross off the days you hit the gym or stick to your nutrition plan. Seeing that streak build is weirdly satisfying.
5️⃣ Go Public (if you’re brave).
Post your goal on social media. Tell your partner. Text your best friend. Even if nobody follows up, putting it out there makes you more likely to follow through.
6️⃣ Take Progress Pics.
You see yourself every day — you don’t notice the small changes. Snap a pic every month. Future you will thank you.
7️⃣ Book Regular Goal Check-Ins.
At Deep Roots, we offer quarterly goal-setting meetings to keep you focused and fired up. If you’re not a member (yet 😉), grab a buddy and schedule them yourself.
8️⃣ Know Your WHY.
It’s not enough to say “I want to lose weight” or “I should eat better.”
Why does it matter? How will it change your life? Remind yourself of that why every single day.
9️⃣ Ditch the All-or-Nothing Mindset.
You’re human. There will be rough days. Life will throw curveballs. Progress isn’t linear — it’s about showing up more often than you don’t.
🔟 Celebrate the Small Wins.
Big goals take time. Set little milestones and reward yourself along the way. Hit five workouts this month? Treat yourself to a new playlist, a coffee date, or a pair of gym socks that make you feel unstoppable.
Find what keeps you moving forward. What works for you today might not work next month, and that’s OK. Keep it fresh. Keep it fun. And lean into the people who have your back.
And if you’re not sure where to start? We’ve got you. Book a free No Sweat Intro or ask a coach to schedule you for a Goal Review Session and let’s build a plan together!
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