Are you struggling to stay motivated to workout and eat healthy?
If so, this article is for you.
I encourage you to read until the end for the brutal honest truth about staying motivated in your fitness.
You'll also find a few key tips that have helped me and my clients stay consistent with our fitness over the last decade.
Unfortunately, staying motivated to workout consistently over a long period of time can be one of the hardest parts of our fitness journey.
But the good news is that I've found these 5 tips to be very helpful in increasing motivation and excitement about your fitness.
So, let's get into it...
1. AIM FOR SOMETHING
Having something in the calendar to aim for with your fitness can be an incredible motivator to stick to your program.
This might be an event like signing up for a Tough Mudder, a 5k, a marathon of some sort, a Powerlifting competition, a Physique competition, etc.
I have many clients who participate in endurance-based events like Tough Mudders, marathons, and Spartan Races.
It gives them something to look forward to and prepare for.
The last thing they want, is to show up the day of the event and be out of shape.
It's a positive activity you can commit to in advance that will always be in the back of your head. And it will motivate you to train or eat well when you otherwise wouldn't have.
If we don't have something to "aim for", losing that motivation can be much more common.
2. CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
This is a simple trick I learned in the last couple years.
It can get boring and tedious going to the same gym every day, at the same time, seeing the same people, and using the same equipment.
So, if you're able to, go check out a few other gyms in your area.
You'll notice there is a different vibe and atmosphere to each gym. Some you'll enjoy more than others.
And sometimes a change of scenery can go a long way for getting excited about your workouts again.
You'll get to try some new machines, see some new people, and I really do wish I realized how powerful this trick was years ago.
I currently have 2 different gym memberships which are very different style gyms,
they have some different equipment that I like to take advantage of, and I like having a choice each day when I go to workout.
Having that choice of where you prefer to workout makes it feel more like something you're looking forward to.
Compared to when you don't have a choice.....And you NEED to go to the same place over and over again.
Most gym memberships are also very cheap these days - it's very realistic that you could have 2-3 gym memberships for around $50-75 a month or so.
Of course, there are some that cost more.
But in my opinion, this is a pretty small investment if you're using the gym 4-5x a week and considering the gym has hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
Other good ways to test out new gyms is by going online and signing up for a free day-pass at a new gym to try it out.
Most gyms do offer some sort of free day-pass to try it out. While others may offer it for a small price.
But this is another way to get that change of scenery and try out a new gym without committing to a full membership.
This is what I do when I travel. I grab a free day pass at one or more of the gyms nearby where we're staying.
3. PLAN A TRIP
Many clients have told me that they want to get in great shape for their upcoming vacation.
It's a great motivator to look your absolute best for a beach vacation.
So, why not plan another trip?
Even if it's 6-12 months in advance, have something in the calendar that you're looking forward to and want to look your best for.
This can be a full vacation or a smaller weekend getaway type of trip.
But these trips work similarly to tip #1 (having something to aim for). Because you're committing to something in advance that you know you want to be in shape for.
Having this event in your head helps to stay motivated and consistent leading up to that event.
4. MINDSET SHIFT
After 10 years coaching clients in the gym and online,
I've noticed that this is one of the main reasons most people struggle to sustain their results long-term...
They have unrealistic expectations with their fitness.
And they are in more of a "quick fix" mindset rather than a long term mindset.
Which can really kill your motivation over time.
What this means, is that they are expecting results right away with minimal effort.
And when they don't get the immediate results they were expecting, they get discouraged and quit or hop to a different program or diet.
For Example - Janice wants to lose weight so she starts a new diet.
But Janice's friend Karen lost 10lbs in a week doing some juice cleanse. So Karen also expects to lose about 10lbs in that first week or two.
But instead, Janice loses 3 lbs in the first week, not 10.
So, instead of being happy that she lost 3lbs already...
She gets super frustrated and thinks her diet isn't working.
After just 1 week, Janice either switches to a new program altogether or does something drastic. Like cuts her food in half.
But she can't sustain this.
So she ends up binging on the weekend or snacking each night.
And this is called yo-yo dieting.
When you're on a roller coaster of losing some weight and gaining it back your whole life.
It's like being on a hamster wheel with your results. You may see some results, but you always end up back in the same spot.
The truth is....If Janice didn't have unrealistic expectations of losing 10lbs in the first week,
she probably would have stuck to her program and seen more consistent results over time.
If she knew that losing 1-2 lbs of actual body fat in a week is an excellent rate of fat loss, she would likely have been more consistent long term.
And when you're more consistent, you build more confidence and momentum.
And if you have more confidence and momentum....you're more likely to stay motivated.
But if you are constantly getting discouraged with your results...you're going to lose motivation because you feel like nothing is working.
So, if you find yourself stuck in this "quick fix mindset," try and gradually shift that into a long-term mindset.
Understand that fitness is a life long game that will never stop.
Patience is going to be key and results take time. Do not expect immediate results with minimal effort.
Focus on implementing the daily habits themselves like working out, tracking your food, eating vegetables, etc...
And the results will come over time.
4. REALIZE MOTIVATION WON'T ALWAYS BE THERE
This isn't so much a tip to stay motivated, as it is a realization that will help you drastically on your fitness journey.
If you think you should always be super motivated to workout or choose a salad over a burger,
you're going to get very frustrated with yourself.
Because the idea that you'll always have motivation, is very unrealistic.
No one is motivated at all times in their fitness.
Not even those of us who work in the fitness industry and generally enjoy working out.
And if we're sitting around waiting for motivation to come save us,
we'll find ourselves going months at a time without doing anything for our fitness.
What I've learned is that working out and eating well is one of those few things we should get ourselves to do, even if we aren't motivated to do so.
Sort of like brushing your teeth, going to the doctor, and other forms of taking care of yourself.
Countless studies show that you will likely live a longer life, a higher quality of life, feel your best, and lower the risk of disease,
if you're someone who is consistently exercising and staying active.
So be resilient and do your best to show up, even when you don't want to.
And if you do, you'll thank yourself later on. And so will your family.
Because if you decide to just not take care of yourself when you aren't motivated to do so,
your family will likely be the ones having to take care of you.
And they'll be the ones who will have their time with you possibly cut short.
I hope this article was helpful.
And if it was, feel free to check out some other articles here on my website or my YouTube Channel
for more in-depth videos on fitness & nutrition.
If you ever have any personal questions for me, don't hesitate to shoot me an email (info@RoseFitnessNY.com) or a msg on social media.
Thank you for reading!
- Jesse
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