One of the biggest challenges in sticking to a healthy lifestyle is staying motivated. Whether it is eating healthy, not giving into the cravings, or simply getting your butt out of bed every morning and committing to your workout, motivation may just be one of the most difficult things to stay consistent with.
Sure it’s easy for the first few weeks when you are focused and riding high, but what about 2 months down the road when you just don’t want to workout?
Believe me, I have been there. No matter how many pictures I pasted to my fridge, how little junk food I kept in the house, or how much I tried to vary my workouts so I didn’t get bored, some days I just slipped up.
Fortunately, I discovered 3 magical little tricks that helped me stay focused, keep my goals in mind, and ultimately drag myself out of bed to get to bootcamp each week. Here is how I did it:
Schedule It
Have you ever noticed that some of the most dedicated athletes, or even your friends who live a healthy lifestyle, always seem to make their regular workouts a part of their everyday lives?
Simply put, it’s because they prioritize their workouts and set aside time for it in their schedules.
I mean let’s face it, life is hectic and what is one of the first things we eliminate when life gets even more hectic? Our workout. It’s the easiest thing to cut out, save for another day, or simply make an excuse for.
However, if you schedule your workout into your life, set aside time for it, book a babysitter, set an alarm, and commit to your workout around the same time every day, it will become more of a daily routine and harder to give up.
After all, you wouldn’t give up the routine of brushing your teeth, would you? Schedule your workout to be part of your daily life and you will soon find it is harder to give up and easier to stay motivated.
Reward Yourself
Another key to staying motivated in your workouts is rewarding yourself with a little something something after reaching a specific goal.
Incentivizing your goals, for example attending bootcamp 5 days a week for a month straight, can help keep your motivation up and your desire to quit down.
However, make sure your rewards are healthy rewards. When you reward yourself with junk food, or something equally as unhealthy, you are more likely to slip up and keep making excuses for why you deserve that reward again, without having to achieve your goals first.
Instead, consider making your reward something that will help you to achieve your next month’s goals such as a new pair of running shoes, an extra session with your favourite personal trainer, a spa treatment, or even a little getaway with your special someone.
These incentives are just as powerful as rewarding yourself with bad-for-you food, but there’s no guilt associated with them.
And speaking of guilt….
Be Guilt Free
We have all felt it. Slipping up and eating a whole cake instead of just a piece, drinking an entire bottle of wine instead of just a glass, or indulging in a super-sized meal at our favourite drive-thru. It happens to the best of us. But chastising yourself, guilting yourself, and making yourself feel bad does us more harm than good.
Simply put, guilt has no place in your life, especially if you are trying your best to stay motivated to continue living a healthy lifestyle.
It is a useless emotion that actually prevents you from moving forward, achieving your goals, and ultimately does not serve your best interests.
Alternatively, instead of guilting yourself for giving into your cravings, cut yourself a break. Understand that slip ups will happen from time to time, and it’s the people who can accept that, move on, and get back into their daily workout routine that will have longterm success and be able to stay motivated with their workouts.
And if you really feel as though you need a day to indulge in your week’s cravings, schedule a weekly cheat day where you can eat what you want, when you want, without hating yourself afterwards.
All in all, staying motivated is something we all have to work at. It doesn’t come easy but if you can master it, you will not only feel great inside but, thanks to regular workouts, you will start to look great on the outside. Bonus!
AUTHOR BIO:
Vanessa is a lifestyle bloggin’ babe whose work can be found on various websites around cyberland, including reviews for Capsiplex , as well as the Flex Mini . The best part about her job? She gets to live her best life each and every day.
