Staying Motivated

Staying motivated and inspired to move and eat a balanced diet doesn’t always come easy and it’s much easier for some than others. So, it got me thinking about what it is that helps me when I’m just not feeling it. I have put together my top 10 tips and if you’re in need, I really hope that some of them work for you too:

1.     Never miss a Monday

I personally never miss a Monday. It’s a great way to kick off the week, to set my goals and my intentions for the days ahead. It’s also a chance to reflect on the weekend away from home in a fresh space.  Give it a go, it hasn’t failed me yet!

2.     Mix it up

I practice yoga and I strength train around x 4 a week and most of the time, I absolutely love getting on my mat and I love hitting the gym...sometimes though, I don’t want to do either, like, at all. On these days, I’ll take a walk on the beach instead, or go climbing, or to a group training class. It’s important to me that movement stays fun and that means I don’t force myself to do something if I’m just not feeling it. I should also note, sometimes I choose to just lay on my bed and binge watch Netflix – and you know what, so long as this is not your everyday thing, that’s ok too.

3.     Change your mindset

Take the pressure off of achieving aesthetic goals, let that be a by-product of just moving your body. The only goal should be FEELING good. Start to listen to what your body needs and when it needs it. It can be really demotivating when we are striving to achieve a certain look at it isn’t happening as quickly as we’d like but, if our goal is to just get moving and feel good then it’s going to feel like much less of a chore.

4.     PMS - allow it

Ladies, make allowances for your time of the month for a couple reasons; bloating around your period is a very real thing…you did not gain weight overnight, you’re just riding the crimson wave and annoyingly that’s one of its downsides. You are also hungrier around this time (but you burn more calories) so if you eat a bit more, give yourself a break. As for your performance, it will likely take a dip during PMS, you might be one of the lucky ones that can maintain the same intensity of training but if you’re anything like me (and most of the population), you won’t. It’s physiology – allow it and give yourself a break.

5.     Look good – feel good

This certainly isn’t the case for everyone but when I put on an outfit that I love and feel good in, I am far more motivated to get out in it! We all have those days where we feel a bit URGH and don’t want to leave the house… the same is true of working out in public. If you’re not feeling good about what you have on, then you might be less inclined to jump around in it. On the flip side, if you have an outfit that makes you feel like you could take on the world… when then you might just do that!

6.      Social cleanse

I actually do not say this lightly at all… if there are accounts online that you follow that make you feel like shit for whatever reason… UNFOLLOW THEM NOW. Like, stop reading and go do it. We spend SO much of our time online consuming content that we underestimate the real impact that this is having on our mental health. The only real way we can tip the balance back in our favour is by being more stringent on making sure that what we are viewing when we first open our eyes in the morning and open Insta is going to make us feel good in some capacity. If the first thing you see when you wake up with morning breath and bed hair is that perfectly manicured, squeaky fitness model that you find really annoying…remove her from your feed…that girl from high school that’s always posting family photos that makes you ache for a life you don’t have yet…unfollow her too or at least, mute her if you don’t want to seem rude. You will be surprised at what a difference it makes consuming content that doesn’t make you feel less than you are.

7.     Diet schmiet

In my 30 years on this planet, I have literally not met one person on a fad or overly restrictive diet that:

A. manages to stick to it without binging and burning,

B. maintains the weight they have lost,

C. is in any capacity happy with their body.

Please note: there is a difference between a diet and a healthy lifestyle.

I know it is not easy for everyone to lose weight but try to find a balance that allows you to eat well and also have a little bit of what you fancy every now and then so you don’t fall off the wagon. I don’t know if I buy into ‘intuitive eating’ as a concept because some intuitions are way off the mark, but you KNOW that a Maccies instead a fresh stir fry full of veggies and some protein is not the sensible choice. Try to get into the habit of eating well and consuming foods that are fresh and unprocessed rather than only drinking juices for a week! I promise you, it’ll be the best habit you ever get in to.

8.     Accountability buddies

If you can, try and find someone in your life that you can check in with. I don’t mean someone to police your goals, I just mean someone to chat to about how things are going for you. Someone to be a cheer leader for you when you’re having a good day AND a bad day.

9.     Goal setting

I find it far easier to push myself when I have something to achieve (that isn’t about how I look). Setting strength goals can be really useful, getting stronger won’t be a bad thing for you and with the right programme, you’ll be able to make easy progress.

10.  Personal trainer

I know this is a total luxury, but if you can afford it, spend a little bit of money on working with a professional, a good one (there are a lot of crap PTs out there). Having someone to take the thinking out of a programme for you can be really helpful, they should also be able to assess where you’re at currently to push you forward or regress what you are doing. It can be really hard to understand how our own bodies are moving, especially when you’re starting out and you don’t know what’s right or wrong, so having a pair of eyes to guide you and motivate you is so incredibly beneficial! It’s also sensible to have someone to make sure you’re performing exercises correctly in order to prevent injuries… because nothing is going to throw you off your stride like a bad back!

So, there you go, my top 10 tips! I would absolutely love to know what motivates YOU to live well? Different things work for different people and I’m always looking for new ways to keep it fresh so comment below and let us know.

Happy moving my loves!

Tash x

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