Be the Change You Wish to See in Yourself
Some of the most inspiring physical transformations have come out of New Year’s resolutions. We're closing out the first quarter of the year, and now we're here to check in on your resolutions. Whether you've fallen off, or stayed on track, reaching your next goal is going to take more hard work, dedication, and a fair amount of sweat to further improve and become the best version of yourself. It will be worth it.
That being said, there will be ups and downs. Listen, that’s normal. We’re human, not perfect. To help keep you going when you’re feeling stuck in a rut, we've made a list of workout motivation tips. Read on for some inspiration on how to kick ass and work hard all year long.
Make a List
Whatever your goal might be, write it down - look at it every morning and throughout the day when you need to find your motivation. Let it fuel you to make it to the gym when you're tired, or when you're tempted to veer off your diet plan.
Whether your goal is to gain strength, lose weight, prepare for a competition, or simply be more active - if you’re in the gym, you’ve got a goal. Taking a few minutes to sit down and create a list of why you want to reach this goal is crucial. Get specific!
Start Small
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Your ideal body won’t be, either. It’s going to take time to reach your goals. A great way to do that and maintain motivation is to break your long-term goal down into smaller, more achievable goals. Focusing on accomplishing these short-term goals will keep you on track toward reaching your long-term, ultimate goal.
It’s good to start small in order to make your new habits stick. If you immediately jump into eating super clean, fatiguing yourself in the gym for 2 hours every day, and quitting all of your bad habits all at the same time, you run the risk of getting burnt out. When you burnout it's a big time progress killer. Thus, make small changes and keep up with them consistently help in adopting an improved lifestyle. When it comes to getting healthy, slow and steady wins the race.
Be Active Every Day
If your obstacle is committing to working out, make a pact with yourself, at the same time every single day you'll do something active. Whether that’s to go to the gym, take a walk, or stretch.
Even on your rest days, you should make an effort to include low-intensity activities like a walk or light yoga. This is called active recovery. You’re still moving, but you’re not pushing yourself to your limits. Active recovery can aid in building the habit of physical activity everyday.
Switch up Diet & Exercise
It happens to the best of us. You’re keeping up with your diet and exercise, things are going well- and then all of a sudden they’re not. You’re not losing weight, gaining muscle or getting stronger. You feel stuck. What’s happening? You’re plateauing.
When you hit a plateau, your body is telling you that you need to switch it up. Whether that’s cutting or adding extra calories, trying a new routine at the gym, reducing or increasing training intensity, or exploring a different tactic like intermittent fasting or carb loading. You’ve got to introduce another element to your routine. It doesn’t have to be a big change, but it’s got to be something. Source out a trusted registered dietitian, when considering a new diet.
Reach Out for Support
Everyone need a little positive reinforcement on occasion, and it's okay to reach out when you're having a difficult time staying on track. People want you to succeed (and if they don’t, it’s time to seriously reconsider your relationship with them). Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and admit you need some encouragement. You can find an online community to support you, your friends, significant other, family, etc.,- reaching for support could be the factor that helps you reach your goal(s).
Be Kind to Yourself
You’re not going to get anywhere tearing yourself down for not living up to expectations of perfection. It’s not about perfection- it’s about consistency. There will be times you make less than healthy choices. That’s okay! Keep going. Pick yourself back up. Keep making healthier choices. Recognize that you slipped and why, pick back up and move forward.
We want you to succeed. If you have questions, reach out to a certified Personal Trainer and/or certified Dietitian you trust. Time to make some serious progress in 2019!
