The motivation struggle
HELPING YOU GET BACK INTO THE GYM AND CLEAN EATING AGAIN x x
It's nearly April (how did that happen?) ...................and whilst some of us are seeing our new year health and fitness goals through others have settled back in to a more sedentary routine, promising every week that 'the diet starts on Monday'! I know the feeling and I have been there a LOT.......I also know that 'the less you do, the less you do'......!
So, I thought I'd compile a few little tips to help you feel motivated again and a few questions to help you analyse why you are letting your health goals slide x x
Re-evaluate. What was it that you wanted to achieve and why haven't you got there yet? Sometimes we set ourselves unrealistic goals, only to be disappointed when it's impossible to stick to them. Maybe you want to re-evaluate and this time be mindful of what you didn't end up doing last time. Getting active again could mean something like: 'every lunch time i'll go for a 30 minute walk'.
Plan. Write yourself a daily or weekly plan. I find if I write a list for the following day I tend to stick to it......again don't be unrealistic! Just put a few things on there like what you are going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and what activity you're going to do. It's so satisfying being able to cross these things off and will give you a sense of structure.
Make time. If you've let your clean eating go off the rails, why? Are you buying the wrong things? Why are you ending up at the take-away every night? Usually clean eating goes out of the window when you are busy! If this is the case try and see if you can commit to half a day of meal prepping on the weekend to set yourself up for the week. Alternatively, why don't you order some healthy meal options from somewhere like: Eat Fit Food. These guys have amazing, yummy and freshly prepared meals which they will deliver to you daily.....this could be a really good option to get you back into the swing of things.
Spread the love. Are you surrounded by 'unhealthy' people? Try and get your partner/workmates/loved ones on board with your healthy strategy. Having the people around you on-board will make everything a lot easier! If you've got a competitive streak you could set weekly challenges for all of you and whoever wins gets a prize. Eg: whoever loses the most weight/sticks to their plan/exercises daily etc will get dinner cooked for them on Friday or will get all of their snacks for next week meal prepped.
Research. Read up on some clean eating and fitness inspiration. This could be checking out a blog you love....I always find inspo on Move Nourish Believe or Women's Health magazine. Sometimes just seeing people exercise or eating well will help get you back on track.
Goal setting. As i've said already don't be unrealistic! What is it that you want to achieve? Do you want to lose weight? Train for an event? Be bikini ready for that Bali holiday? Whatever it is.....set yourself a goal and keep this as your focus. Remind yourself of this when you end up in the biscuit aisle at the grocery store or when you really don't want to go to the gym!
Train Happy. If Spin class isn't really your thing then don't do it....at least not yet! Do the things that make you smile while you're working up a sweat! I love running as opposed to going to the gym so in January I went running every second day to get back into it. This really helped me feel active and happy all at the same time. In February I added in the gym and now I am adding in a bit of yoga/dance when I can. Exercise is addictive so soon enough you will want to do more and try new and different things.
Love yourself. We're all human and sometimes things just get in the way, don't be too harsh on yourself, just make a plan and stick to it! Understand that NOW is your time to make a change and give your body everything that it deserves. Remember, you only have one body and it really is your temple (I know it sounds cheesy....but the saying 'you are what you eat' couldn't be more accurate). Get your glow back :) and think about how amazing you're going to look and feel!
Progress. Monitoring your progress is so important and will make you feel happy and inspired to keep on going.
If you are finding it tough to get back on track or you have some of your own personal tips you'd like to share I'd love to hear from you!
Enjoy x x
