Congratulations, you’ve completed Bridge to Brisbane Day! Whether you raced your hardest through the 10km or took a leisurely walk over the Story Bridge with a group of friends, you’ve done a great thing for yourself and the community.

Achieving a goal is a great feeling. But what do you do after you tick that box?

Reflect – how do you feel?

Take some time to give yourself a pat on the back and think about how you feel after achieving your goal. Reflect on what’s changed since you decided to do the race – are you feeling healthier or happier? Is exercise a bigger part of your routine? Have you kicked any bad habits? Are there any other changes you want to make?

Decide what new habits you want to stick with and how you want to feel, then set about making your next health or fitness goal.

Setting new goals

Keeping the reasons you embarked on your Bridge to Brisbane Day journey in mind, think about what your next goals might be now that race day is over.

You might aim to continue running a few times a week, set a goal to continue cooking healthy dinners, or register for another fun run. Think about what long-term changes you want to make: do you want to improve your speed or distance, lose weight, or feel more energetic?

Use the S.M.A.R.T formula to set goals that are achievable and realistic, and write your goals down on a calendar or list. Think about the steps you’ll take to realise your goals, breaking them down into achievable chunks. Each week, think about what you’ll do to move a little closer to ticking your goal off your list, using a tool like the Healthier. Happier. Meal & Exercise Planner to write your weekly plan.

A suggested long-term goal is to write down your time from this year’s event and aim to shave time off this in 2018!

Keeping healthy habits

Sticking to healthy habits in the long term can be challenging, but there are a lot of tools to make it easier for you.

Stay motivated by tracking your progress, getting friends involved, and making sure you reward yourself when you stick with your new routine.

Use the Health & Fitness Age Calculator to get some insight into your overall health and wellbeing, either to motivate yourself to keep on working hard or to track the progress you’ve already made.

Mix things up in the kitchen by trying some new, healthy recipes, including healthy snacks, comfort food and fast family dinners. You can explore the Healthier. Happier. Library for more articles on healthy eating, exercise and goal setting.

What will you be doing to stay motivated now that Bridge to Brisbane Day 2017 is complete? Let us know in the comments below.

We want to see your race day snaps! Keep your photos coming by tagging us and using the hashtags #BestTimeBNE and #Bridge2Brisbane.