If there’s one thing I feel I get asked a lot about it’s on the topic of Motivation. How do I stay motivated to workout and eat healthy? It seems so easy for a day or two but then the novelty of something new wears off. You miss the comfort of your old ways. Change is scary.
You start to think: Can this even work anyway? How long is this going to take to get to my goals? There has to be an easier way. Let me research the easier way and try again next week.
Cycle repeats.
Welcome to your thoughts on a Wednesday, am I right!?
I can tell you that for far too long I would spend my Sunday’s sitting down and thinking to myself, THIS will be the week that I stick to my goals. I’d find a new ‘diet’ to try and a new workout program to start. I’d get excited again for something new. A fresh new start. And then I’d get to Wednesday and it really wasn’t fun and exciting anymore. I saw what everyone else was eating and I wanted that too. I’d decide I didn’t have time to prepare meals for the next day. I was sure I could make healthy decisions on will power alone. I’d wake up late and miss my workout and be angry with myself because once again I failed.
Start with Why
There’s something missing here that we don’t talk about often enough when we’re making these decisions to workout and eat healthier. We’re not getting clear on our WHY. It’s not good enough to just sit there and think “I want to live a healthier life so I’ll workout and eat healthy”. What does that even mean? It can mean SO many things to so many different people. You will not always be motivated. So when that starts to run out you need your WHY to resort back to.
Maybe you want to live a healthier life so you can:
- Run around with your kids and actually have energy
- Feel confident going into summer
- End an eating disorder you’ve been too scared to face
- Wake up each day feeling alive with energy and not sluggish
The list can go on and on. But what I want to get at is make sure you really narrow down that WHY so it speaks deep to you. Write it down on a sticky note and place it on your bathroom mirror so you see it every single morning and right before you go to bed. This will remind you at night that you have goals you’re sticking to so hitting the snooze button isn’t going to happen. Then, once you finally get up you’ll see the note again and be filled with determination and drive to start the day strong.
Find an Accountability Partner
We hear this one a lot too, right? Join a group, get a coach, find a mentor, pick a friend, someone who will hold you accountable. But it’s true that it helps! By surrounding yourself with people that are reaching the same goal or who have gone through something similar to you, you’re able to see that it can actually happen. You’re seeing that if they can be motivated you can too. Especially on those days where you don’t feel like doing it, they’re going to be there to give you that extra push.
You’re also known to become the 5 people you hang around most. If most of your friends are hitting snooze and grabbing pizza on the regular… well you can see where I’m going here. NOT, saying you have to quit your friends to be successful, but maybe don’t be around them as much. Especially when you’re just starting to form your new habit. It’s so easy to see your old comfort zone and dive right back in there. Share your goals with them and why you may be taking some time away from them. Who knows, maybe you’ll inspire a friend you didn’t realize wanted to get healthier and you both can do it together!
Give Yourself Grace
Probably THE most important piece of advice. You’re trying something new. It’s challenging and difficult. So when things don’t go exactly as you planned, know that it’s ok. Don’t sit there and focus on the one day that you decided to have pizza and cake at lunch. Take a step back and think, how did you feel after having the pizza and cake. Remember that for the next time. But more importantly, think about all the positive wins you had throughout the week already. Keep that at the forefront to use to stay motivated to get right back on track.
Final thought. No one is perfect because perfect doesn’t exist. So stop holding yourself to that unrealistic standard. Do your best each day. Think about your why. Connect with your support group you’ve chosen. And give yourself grace. Each week will be better than the next as you gain momentum. But also know, some weeks will not.
I believe in YOU and that you will become motivated to achieve your goals. If you need a little help and guidance to believe in yourself let’s discuss how we can work together to make that happen!
