How to stay motivated

Maybe you just started, fully motivated, the energy of a 1000 suns and ready to do this, to stick to it, to staying healthy and fit. But before you know it there is a day that you have to work longer, something pops up for the kids or you're just not feeling like it.

Starting motivation will not get you through these days. And as there are off course very good reasons why you should sometimes listen to your body and skip your work-out...most times you'll find that pushing through and sticking to your plan will actually benefit you more.

First of all motivation is what gets you started. You made it this far and your future self will thank you for it but motivation will not push you through the hard days as there is no secret on how to stay motivated.

1. Make a plan and stick to it

Concrete plans will push you to stick to achieving your goals.

Unless you're sick, let your plan decide if you do a work-out instead of 'if you're feeling like it'. The first 3 months it is sticking to your plan and showing up for yourself day after day that will help you build habits. On the long term, having healthy habits is what will keep you on the right track, or get you right back on track if you have slipped a little.

Make sure also that you allow time for adjusting your plans when necessary, building a plan that works for you could be a challenging task but hang in there because it is possible!

2. There is someone busier than you working out right now

This may not sound the most motivating but it can help you define what you need to change in order to get things done. There are plenty of examples of people working out consistently and they all have busy jobs, family lives and social obligations. Why can they seem to make it work and more importantly how can you translate their thinking into something that works for you?

As with many things in life it is all about prioritization. If you prioritize your work-outs as planned it will be easier to do them. Think about how many times you have not shown up in a meeting at work, at the dentist or at your friends place when you agreed to meet for coffee at 4? Very few times I guess? And now visualize how many times you have not shown up for yourself, doing your workout? Chances are that you have to admit to yourself that it is a bit out of balance here...

To help you prioritize you could journal every day deciding on what you want to achieve tomorrow like no more snoozing, showing up for your workout, taking that long walk,...

Take it easy and take one day at a time and you'll be quickly celebrating successes instead of feeling dissapointed about all the things you didn't do today.

Making lists of benefits could also help you to get your workout prioritized more easily.

Why do you like it? Probably because you'll feel better afterwards, because you feel invincible when you managed to do that one exercise you never could before or ran that distance you never reached before, because it helps you relax both in your body but also in your mind, it gives you new energy, it helps you sleep better and so on. I'm hoping that when you give it a try you'll find a lengthy list of reasons to prioritize you and your work-outs.

3. Don't be too hard on yourself

Showing up for your work-out does not equal sticking rigidly to your plan, allowing for no flexibility and burning out after a few weeks or months.

In the first few months it helps to be a bit more strict since that will help you build habits and habits will pull you through on the long term.

At the same time it is also flexibility that will make it easier to stick to your plans. If you have a planned workout on Tuesday and all of a sudden there are bbq plans because the weather is beautiful? Then please go ahead and enjoy the bbq in the sun. But at the same time move your workout to tomorrow or lunchtime the same day to make sure you have it rescheduled.

One day... or day one! The choice is yours.

Happy training!

Ilona