Motivation is tricky. You can spend countless hours scrolling through motivational quotes on Pinterest and not have a single spark, yet on your drive to work that next morning you see a female runner - abs reflecting the early sun and legs that defy gravity when they pound the hard pavement - and boom. You are now the next iron (wo)man. You can't be stopped.
While motivation may seem to be a spark untamed, there are certain ways to make your environment conducive to a little flash here and there. Here are five ways to stay motivated without having to stalk your runner-idol each morning:
1. Get Down to the Specifics
Resolving to "lose weight" or "eat healthier" is a dead-end dream. With no clear path or steps to make those resolutions a reality, you're going to find yourself leaning back into old habits once the excitement of a new goal has faded. Instead of something broad like "lose weight", try breaking down the next few months into smaller, weekly goals.
For example:
Week 1: Drink 90oz of water each day.
Week 2: Have at least one vegetable with each meal.
Week 3: Create a clear exercise schedule with a dedicated rest day.
2. Be Honest with Yourself
If you're not the type of person to quit or start something cold turkey, then don't plan to fail by starting new on a Monday and quitting on Tuesday. Use your weaknesses to your advantage. If you struggle with self-image, print out a few positive affirmations to tape around the house. If you know you're not going to have time to cook a healthy meal for dinner every night, get into meal prep. If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail!
3. Have FUN!
Just because there may be sweat and tears involved, doesn't mean living a healthy lifestyle has to be serious. There are so many unconventional ways of getting into fitness (PIYO, Rockin' Body to name a few). Heck, there are even fitness classes where you literally jump on a trampoline. I'm not joking. If it makes you smile, you're 100% likely to keep at it. So find your soulmate work out and get moving!
4. Join a Challenge Group
Finding a group of people who are on the same page as you is a great way of staying on track. Each morning I post to my challenge groups, checking up on their progress and pushing them to do better than the day before. Everyone in the group is all there for the same reasons: to build strength through community. To learn when my next challenge group will be, you can contact me here.
5. Become A Coach
This is the only thing that worked for me. Being a coach means putting yourself out there and having the world watching you. It sounds scary at first, but even while most are watching you, some are looking up to you. Being known as an example for other people is what keeps me focused and on track each and every day. To learn more about what it takes to become a coach, click here.
If you're just starting out on your fitness journey or maybe need a little push to get back to where you were, join my online community on Facebook.
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