How to stay motivated to workout (and eat healthy). We’ve all heard the saying it’s a lifestyle. However what happens when you are no longer motivated to stay the course on your new healthy lifestyle journey?
I know we have all been there when motivation wanes, one “bad” choice sends us into a spiral and we slip into old habits or we miss one workout and we completely throw in the towel. If those sound too familiar, I’m offering 5 simple tips to boost motivation to recalibrate your journey to a healthy lifestyle.
CHALLENGES TO STAYING MOTIVATED
Before we talk about ways to stay motivated to workout, let’s first discuss challenges or roadblocks that can derail us. Of course this will vary for everyone, however I think there are a few common themes.
Overwhelming Goal – generally when on a health journey losing weight is one of the goals. However, oftentimes, we can become so focused on the ultimate end goal that it becomes frightening, creates anxiety and we can’t possibly conceive how we’re going to achieve it.
Sadness – sadness comes in many forms whether it’s from depression, seasonal, medical or due to loss in your family or friend circle. When working through any form of sadness, being able to focus on any goal can become challenging.
Unsupportive environment – change is hard. Change is even harder when you feel isolated, alone and trying to do it by yourself. Being in an unsupportive environment can lead to a lack of encouragement to make positive changes in your life.
All of these are valid reasons for loss of motivation. However just because you may have temporarily lost motivation does not mean things have to stay that way. It can truly happen to even the most dedicated of people. Being able to recognize when you’ve lost your motivation is key in being able to refocus and course correct.
5 SIMPLE TIPS TO STAY MOTIVATED TO WORKOUT
Remember your Why: Everyone has one.
A why as to why you began this journey. My hope is that your “why” is stronger than just wanting to lose weight or to look good in a dress. Your why has to resonate so deeply with you that it brings things clearly back into focus.
Is it a serious health concern like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or simply realizing you want to be around to play with your kids or grandkids.
Accountability partner: Having an accountability partner can be an awesome motivator.
Cultivating a sense of community ensuring you are not alone through this journey. An accountability partner can bring feelings of wanting to make them proud, feel accomplished, and have them give us that proverbial pat on the back.
Finding an accountability partner that will be able to provide a layer of support throughout your journey is beneficial in staying motivated.
Join a challenge: Nothing like a good competition to get the competitive juices flowing.
With all the technology we have at our fingertips, this becomes even easier. Challenges can be joined on most fitness trackers like Fitbit and Apple watches. There are even health trackers on our phone making it easier to join a fitness challenge virtually.
Alternatively you could also gather a few friends and start your own fitness challenge to see who tracked the most steps, or miles for the week.
Introducing new foods: Food is usually the hardest part for most people. They think that because I’m eating healthy I have to abstain from all the foods I love. That couldn’t be further from the truth (and hopefully you’ve tried some of my recipes by now and realize that to be true).
However if you feel like you just can’t eat [fill in the blank] one more time, try spicing things up and getting something new or different on your next grocery store run. It can be trying a Japanese sweet potato, or learning to make sushi at home. Whatever it is, just step out of your comfort zone and go for the gusto.
Try new recipes: This definitely ties into trying something new. But if you’ve always made your bbq chicken the same way, why not try spicing it up with making it buffalo style? Or loading it up with veggies on top? Ever tried stuffing that BBQ chicken in a potato? You see where I’m going with this?
Trying new recipes brings the fun and excitement back into your food and can actually have you looking forward to your next meal.
Hopefully these 5 easy tips to stay motivated to workout was helpful! If there are any other tips that you personally, use, feel free to drop them in the comments below! If you want to read more about common health mistakes, check out this roundup from 80 experts on common health mistakes and how to overcome them.
If you still need a few ideas for recipe inspiration, here are a few of my favorites to try: protein muffins, pulled bbq chicken, Thai chili meatballs. Also feel free to follow me on Youtube and Instagram. I always love connecting with you all!
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