When you’re motivated to get fit and healthy, it’s easy to want to get to the gym and to change your diet completely. You’re all in, you’re ready for this, and you love every second of it. Once your motivation is gone, however, it’s easy to fall back into old habits such as skipping a workout or eating poorly. While it’s fine to take a day of rest or to indulge in those glazed donuts you love so much in moderation, you can’t let your lack of motivation change the way you feel about your health. If you feel your motivation isn’t there, try these tips to motivate you to maintain your good health.
Look at Photos of Your Goal Body
Do you want to work on a Kardashian bottom or a flat stomach with abs that show without effort? Do you want curves or just some gorgeous muscle tone in your arms? Find a photo of the body parts you’re aiming to achieve and print out a copy with a picture of your face pasted on top. When you feel unmotivated, these photos will help you find a way to get your motivation back.
Set Small Goals
You have a big goal but you must break that down into smaller goals you can achieve over time. When you have more than one goal to check off your list, you feel motivated. Here’s a good example: You want to get fit and healthy, lose weight, and look amazing on a tropical beach vacation in six months. That’s your main goal. You break that goal down into smaller goals. Perhaps you want to hit the gym four days a week for at least a half hour and maybe you want to eat 80 percent healthy food and allow yourself 20 percent of indulgence food.
Write those down and cross those smaller goals off every day. If you manage to work out for 30 minutes that day, check it off your list. If you eat all healthy food that day so you can save your indulgence for a movie date this weekend, check it off your list. Each time you achieve even the smallest goal, you feel so much more motivated and positive about your life.
Find Foods That You’re Excited About!
Yes, clean eating can be delicious! One look at my Instagram feed of food blog will show you that. Do you love sweet potatoes? Find a recipe for a delicious Sweet Potato Pizza or a Roasted Root Veggie Salad. Need breakfast ideas that will motivate you not to skip? Try some Double Chocolate Muffins, Pumpkin Waffles with Apple-Cinnamon Compote or Cranberry-Orange Scones.
Or maybe you want some sweet ideas for desserts that will satiate your cravings while allowing you to maintain your goals, like: Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Bars, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie or an Apple-Cranberry Crisp. Whatever it is you need, chances are there is a way to get or make it! There are SOOO many clean-eating delivery services out there so, even if you don’t have time to cook or bake, you can still stick to your goals.
Find Accountability
Find someone to make you accountable. This is a person you need to check in with each day. It’s embarrassing to admit to someone you failed simply because you felt lazy or didn’t want to. You’d much rather tell that person you did meet your goals for the day, and that keeps you motivated. Let their disappointment motivate you to stay accountable.
Your body is going to change if you can change your mind, and that’s why your motivation level is so important. What works for you might not work for others and vice versa. This is why you should try a few of these to see if they work and eliminate what doesn’t make you feel more motivated.