Staying Motivated on Your Fitness Journey

One of the questions I am asked most often is, how do I stay motivated on my fitness journey? Life happens, things come up, and times get tough. Sometimes the ice cream or wine are calling your name and it is completely normal to indulge in them. These times shouldn’t be looked at as failures or setbacks, they should be viewed as a normal part of a healthy lifestyle.

Having been on my fitness journey for close to two years and finally ending the yo-yo habits, here are the 6 things that have worked, and continue to work, to keep me motivated. I hope they help and encourage you to maintain your motivation to live a healthy lifestyle; vacations, parties, emotional eating, and all!

1. Identify why you are making the change

Ask yourself why you want to make the change and live a healthy lifestyle. It should be for you and you alone. Doing it for others might work in the short term but it is very likely to fail in the long run. Be honest with yourself and decide why this is important for you. Whatever your reason, the more real and meaningful it is, the more likely you are to stick with it. The reason(s) might change as time goes on, but having that strong meaning is crucial to long term success.

2. Take lots of photos

I mean lots, and then keep all the photos. Take them every 2 weeks or more. I don’t always post them or even compare them, but having them to come back and look at is so important. Your progress might be measured on the scale at first, but that is not a healthy long term comparison tool.

I lost weight in the beginning because I was overweight to start, but in these past months, my weight hasn’t changed much at all. In fact it’s gone up. Why do I not freak out about the scale? Because I have the photos. The scale isn’t reflecting the fact that my booty is getting bigger and my legs leaner, it’s not showing my abs that are coming through. That is only seen in the photos.

Take lots of photos, be your own motivation. Seeing the changes week to week will keep you motivated and encouraged to keep going. Get a good app like Instagram’s Layout and compare your photo progress every 2-4 weeks. You will be shocked to see the changes that the scale might not be telling you.

3. Give yourself grace

You are unique, no one else has your responsibilities and obligations. What works for others might not be realistic for you.

Find what works for you and don’t feel less-than because what everyone else is doing isn’t what you are doing. If you have a bad day, eat a whole pizza, miss a workout – IT’S OK! Get back on track the next day or the next meal.

Feeling guilty and like a failure will only make you more inclined to give up and quit. Things happen and it’s ok! This is a lifestyle, not an all or nothing. Embrace the bad days and move your thinking into the positive future you are building for yourself. If you miss a week of working out, or have a week of less than ideal eating, that’s ok as long as you are moving forward. Being kind to yourself and focusing on your main reason for making this lifestyle choice will help you in moving on from a bad day.

4. Plan for success and stick to what works

I have hit some walls in the past year with working out and trying to add in different things to stay motivated. What happened more often than not is adding in the new stuff without proper planning got me all mixed up and priorities confused and ended up not doing anything at all.

How I bounced back from it was a combination of planning properly and going back to what I know worked in the past. This didn’t mean not trying and incorporating new things, it just meant diligently placing them in a system that I know has worked in the past. Plus the act of writing out a plan helps to excite and motivate me for the week ahead.

Going back to what you know works for you, your life, and your routine are crucial when you feel things are off track. Take a step back, remember why you’re doing this, and set up a mini goal to work towards that incorporates a routine you know works for you. Plan for success and make yourself and your workouts a priority. Just as you wouldn’t miss a doctor’s appt, child’s play, or work meeting, don’t miss your YOU time.

5. Set up mini goals

Having a big, long term goal is great but staying motivated when you have a bad day and that big goal seems impossible is tough. This is why I love mini goals. Maybe you have a vacation in a month, maybe you want to feel your best for a girl’s day, or maybe you want to change your diet but don’t know where to start. This is where mini goals are perfect!

Ideally these mini goals are all part of the big goal, so breaking them down into a week or two at a time helps you keep moving towards the bigger goal. Progress photo taking day is a great goal to break up a larger goal because you are striving towards taking those photos every 4 weeks.

Maybe you want to try eliminating something from your diet, ehm, sugar? Use that as a goal for 2 weeks. Want to become more flexible? Set stretching for 10 minutes a day as a goal for one month. Whatever it is you want to achieve, set up mini goals to strive for as you move your way towards that bigger goal.

6. Find and be active in your community

One of the best ways to stay motivated is to be active in the community of supporters who are all working towards the same thing. There are tons of amazing communities for fitness on Instagram. I do the Kayla Itsines BBG workouts so I am active in that fitness community. When I don’t feel like working out, all it takes is a quick scroll through some of the BBG hashtags. When I see others who are working out or their progress and it motivates me to get out of bed and do my workout that day.

I have also seen some of my fit friends drop off on their workouts. I can’t help but notice they always drop off in their online fitness community as well. Staying active and engaged with those who are supportive will help you on your way to your goals.

The BBG Community are unlike any other, if you are having a bad day and post about it, they are quick to encourage you and cheer you on. That can be all the motivation you need that day to keep going. Be real, feel your feelings, stay active in the community and you will find the motivation to keep moving forward.

Here is a little snippet of what I mean about I take a lot of photos! ha! xo

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