So how are your New Year’s goals coming along? Are you still plugging away or have things kind of fizzled? When a new year rolls around or you have an important event coming up, it is easy to get 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. Things are going change and you are going to meet your goals come hell or high water!
Stay Motivated to Maintain Goals
With time though your motivation can fizzle out. It’s harder than you thought to constantly stay this new course. It is easier to fall back into old habits such as skipping workouts or eating junk food. And it is totally fine to take a day of rest or to indulge for an evening at your favorite restaurant. In fact, if you don’t feel deprived, all the better. You can’t let a temporary lack of motivation gain traction though. Your health goals are too important or you would not have made them. If you feel your motivation just isn’t there, try these tips to motivate you to stay in this race for the long haul.
Practice Gratitude
Things may not be easy for you right now. You are struggling to accomplish these goals and they seem far, far away from being achievable right now. But be grateful for how far you have come in the past few weeks and the steps you’ve taken that will slowly be the habits of your new lifestyle. Be grateful for any missteps, cheat days, or lazy days when you did not work out because you are about to step it up and those occasions are a reminder that YOU CAN COME BACK. Those days when you got knocked down were mere opportunities to rise back up stronger than before. Your life is full of chances and opportunities and you should be grateful that you have them, not feeling sorry for yourself. Be grateful and be brave and get back on that horse. NOW!
Set Small Goals
You might have a big goal, but you might do better to break it down into smaller goals that you can achieve over time and recognize as a win when they happen. When you have more than one goal to check off your list, you feel motivated. That big insurmountable rock is rolling uphill one big shove at a time. Here’s a good example. You want to get fit and healthy, lose weight, and look amazing on a tropical beach vacation in eight months. That’s your main goal. You break that goal down into smaller goals. Set a monthly weight loss goal. Commit to 3-4 days a week at the gym. Park far away from your office building and walk at least twice a week. Bring a healthy lunch to work three out of five days. Oh and reward yourself with a super cute Nicole Miller lunch bag after a couple weeks to inspire even more homemade lunches. These small goals all bring you closer to your main goal.
Write them 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 journey. Keep track of these small wins in a goals journal.
Find Accountability
Often times the best motivator is the pressure we feel when others know of our goals so find someone to make you accountable. This is a person you need to check in with often. 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/health is going to change if you can change your mind, and that’s why your motivation level is so important. Practice these tactics and keep them in mind into the next month and beyond. Everyone’s gung ho about a new year and new you but that new you is going to be a process that stretches long beyond January. Do things to inspire your motivation all year long.
