Do you feel yourself losing motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating right? Perhaps your enthusiasm for getting in shape lasted only a few weeks before it waned, and you returned to your old ways. If so, you're not alone, but that shouldn't mean you stay demotivated. That would be a bad thing for your health and fitness.
What if, instead of taking an "all-or-nothing" attitude to weight loss and health, you committed to making a few small adjustments at a time? Most studies have found that the most successful approaches to health and weight loss involve making small, manageable changes to your routine. Take a look at the next few inspiring suggestions to help you take baby steps in the right direction every day and stay motivated as you go.
The likelihood of success rises when goals are reasonable and doable. Giving yourself enough time to complete a task is an important part of maintaining motivation. In other words, setting a goal like wanting to lose twenty pounds in one month is unrealistic and will actually get in the way of your success (it will be demotivating if you keep finding you’re not achieving what you wanted), but setting a goal like wanting to love twenty pounds in five or six months would help you change your perspective and give you a confidence boost.
As well as this, putting your goals in writing improves your chances of really following through with them. They will be there in black and white, and you can refer to them easily. Plus, the act of writing them down helps them to stick in your mind more easily. Doing this will also help you get a better handle on exactly what you are doing and how to move forward.
Have Some Friendly Competition
Maybe your friends have been nagging you to go on a trip or start a fitness routine with them. If that's the case, why not take them up on the idea and create a fitness group that has a little competition included within it. Learn how to create an email group in Gmail on Mac, and you can ensure everyone is included each step of the way.
Motivation to exercise is boosted by a little healthy competition as it means you will keep pushing yourself, and if it's with your friends, you won't be causing any upset - you can do what you need to do.
This is helpful for all kinds of reasons, including the fact that those with more experience might serve as motivation for improvement. Meanwhile, when you and a group of friends are all striving towards the same thing, you can compare notes on who is putting in the most effort and how to do better.
It's not about coming out on top, but about challenging yourself to grow in some small way. As you achieve each goal, you'll feel encouraged to keep setting and working for new ones.
Work Out Why You Overeat
To stay motivated, you need to know what your problems are and have a plan for how to deal with them. Do you turn to food when you're upset, rejected, bored, or even happy with yourself and what is happening in your life (you use it as a reward, in other words)?
Think of some better ways to handle mood swings that don't involve eating. Also, make sure you have control over your environment so you don't binge on high-calorie foods when you're upset, snubbed, or bored. Keep a lot of healthy foods in your kitchen, like chunks of fruit and vegetables, low-fat yogurt, flavored water, and sugar-free gum.
Understand What Motivates You
When it comes to motivation, there are two kinds of people: those who are driven from the inside out (internally motivated) and those who are driven from the outside in (externally motivated). People who are internally motivated can usually stick to their plans, but people who are externally motivated need extra input to keep their focus.
Think about the last goal you set for your health and what helped you reach it. Can you figure out if you're motivated from the inside or from the outside?
If you get your drive from outside of yourself, you just have to find what works for you. Why not set a reward to give yourself more reason to do something? If you reach your goal, you might want to book a massage or buy a new pair of shoes, depending on what motivates you. Or you might need a training partner to help you stick to your fitness plan.
When you find something that works for you, keep doing it. Consistency is very important.
Don’t Think About How You Look
We worry too much about how other people see us. Your confidence and self-esteem will go up a lot if you look better each week, but that shouldn't be your main goal. Every person has a different body, a different set of goals, and a wide range of skills.
Don't put so much pressure on yourself to look a certain way if you are just starting out. Try to think about how you feel when you work out and eat well. Look away from the mirror and think about how your clothes feel. Also, don't forget, especially in a gym, that everyone feels pretty much the same way as you do, even if they look different. They might be just as self-conscious as you are, or they might find that the way you work inspires them.
Don’t Join In With Trends And Fads
You can probably think of a lot of fitness and weight-loss programs that have become more popular over the past few years. Every health and fitness trend has its loyal followers, but not everyone is a good fit for it. When it comes to your health, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. You should look for one that works for you. Don't follow the latest trend blindly if it's not right.
If, for example, your friend tries to get you to go to an exercise class that they really like, but you try it once and don't like it, don't keep going. Find something you like to do instead.
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