The number one thing I tell my clients is that if they want to be successful, they need to find a way to motivate themselves. If you're like most people, you've got it in you - you're just not sure how to access it. The good news is that there are many ways to get motivated: joining an online class or group of like-minded people can help keep you accountable; finding something positive about the activity itself will help keep the fun alive; making plans with friends who have similar goals and schedules can make reaching them easier; and setting small daily goals will give your mind something positive to focus on!
Motivation can be challenging. However, some great tips can help keep us focused on our fitness goals even when things get tough (because let's face it - they always do!). In this blog post, we'll talk about some tips for staying motivated to reach our fitness goals more easily than ever before.
Understand what you want to achieve.
Before you begin, it's important to understand what you want to achieve. This is not a question of whether or not you should exercise, but rather what kind of exercise and how often.
For example: Do you want to lose weight? Or do you want to feel healthier and have more energy? If so, how much weight do you need to lose? Do not set unrealistic goals for yourself, or they will only lead to frustration when they are not met by the end of the day (or week).
It is also important that your goals are realistic--not easy, but realistic! If this means changing up some activities so they're easier on your body while still being effective at helping achieve your goal, then do so! For example, if running has become too difficult due to an injury, try swimming instead!
Be specific about how you want to feel.
Be specific about how you want to feel.
If your goal is to be more confident, for example, don't just say, "I want to be more confident." Say what exactly it will look like when you are feeling confident: "I am going to walk into that meeting with my head held high and smile at everyone there; I'm going to make eye contact with strangers on the street and let them know how great I am doing!"
If your goal is feeling energetic, describe what energy looks like in action: "I'm going to take my dog for a jog around the park every morning before work."
Be realistic about your goals.
Regarding fitness goals, it's important to set realistic expectations. If you select a goal that is too ambitious, it will be difficult or impossible for you to achieve, and this can lead to frustration. On the other hand, if your goals are too easy--or even worse yet, don't involve any physical activity, they may not provide enough motivation for long-term success.
To avoid these potential pitfalls when setting your own fitness goals:
- Set goals that are achievable but challenging enough so as not to feel like an easy win;
- Keep in mind that there are many different kinds of exercise programs out there (for example, yoga vs. running), so make sure whatever program or routine works best for your body type/preferences before making any commitments;
- Remember that it takes time! Don't give up after one week if things aren't going according to plan; instead, keep working hard until those results come through
Set reminders for yourself.
Setting reminders for yourself is the best way to ensure you remember to work out. There are many ways to do this, but the most effective methods involve using your phone's calendar or an app like Google Calendar.
- Add a reminder on your phone's calendar and make sure it appears as often as possible (for example, every day at 7:00 am). This way, even if you don't see the reminder when it pops up in front of you in real life, there will be some indication that something important is happening at that time--and hopefully, this thought will stick with you throughout the day until it becomes a habit!
- If using an app isn't practical (maybe because of limited data storage), try setting up a recurring meeting on Outlook or Gmail so that emails go out automatically every morning at 7:00 am with links to videos about fitness tips for achieving success.
Write down your daily and weekly fitness goals, then track your progress against them.
Keeping track of your progress is important to achieving your fitness goals. It can be difficult to stay motivated and push yourself if you don't know how far you've come or where exactly you stand in relation to the finish line.
Writing down your daily and weekly fitness goals is a great way to track how well (or not) you're doing on them, but it's also important to write down what those goals are in the first place! Ensure they're specific enough: "I want my abs to look better" isn't nearly as helpful as "I will do 50 situps every day this week."
It's also worth considering whether other factors might affect your ability to achieve these goals--for example, if one day at work is particularly stressful and exhausting for me, then I might need extra rest before hitting my next set of squats hard enough, so I don't hurt myself during them (this happened).
Get a buddy or go to a gym with a buddy.
Having a buddy or going to a gym with a buddy is one of the best ways to stay motivated, on track, and accountable. It's easy to get distracted when you're exercising by yourself, but having someone else there can help keep your mind from wandering off into the land of Netflix binge-watching (or whatever else). Your buddy can also be your support system if something goes wrong during an exercise session--if they see that something isn't working for them and needs adjusting, they'll let you know!
Don't make excuses!
It's easy to come up with reasons why we can't make it to the gym or are too tired to run after work, but these excuses are just that - excuses! Make the time in your schedule and do it!
It's also important not to get caught up in comparing yourself with others. Everyone has different fitness goals and needs, so there will always be someone who seems more fit than you. The key is not comparing yourself with others but instead focusing on your progress and how far you have come since starting your fitness journey.
Reward yourself when you've reached your goal!
When you've reached your goal, reward yourself. Get that new outfit you've wanted, or treat yourself to a night out with friends. You deserve it!
Motivation is tough, but it helps to have others around you who support you and help each other out by making fitness plans together and holding each other accountable.
Motivation is tough, but it helps to have others around you who support you and help each other out by making fitness plans together and holding each other accountable. The best way to stay motivated is to have a plan and then share that plan with others. This can be done in many ways: through social media posts, emails, texts that remind you of your goals (and why they're important), or even just talking about them in person with friends and family members.
If someone else is working toward their own fitness goals at the same time as you are--even if they aren't doing exactly what you're doing--it can be helpful for both parties because there will always be someone around who understands what it feels like when things get tough or don't go according to plan (which happens more often than not).
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