Happy August everyone! I hope you are all enjoying summer and having a blast. I’ve been asked a lot lately about motivation and how I stay so motivated towards my health and fitness goals. The truth is, I’m not always motivated but I am consistent. It’s nearly impossible to be super motivated every day because life throws so much at us. Instead of getting down on yourself for not being motivated, try to be consistent during the times you lack motivation. For instance, set the goal of moving 30 minutes each day this week. You’ll notice that some days you are super motivated and “crush” your workout while other days you just move. No matter how you feel, you are still consistently moving which is doing something beneficial for your body. The same goes for eating healthy. Instead of putting the pressure on yourself to make creative, healthy meals every day, figure out your go-to healthy meals that you can make on autopilot on your unmotivated days and save the fancy recipes for your motivated days. The consistent days will add up to big results which will increase your motivation – it is a win win!
To help you feel a little more consistent on your unmotivated days, I’ve listed a few tips and tricks below:
- Take a workout class you love: One of the first things that drew me to Fitness Unlimited was the variety of fitness they offer. There is literally something for everyone! On the days you feel unmotivated, sign up for the group fitness class you love, jump on your favorite piece of cardio equipment, or sign up for a session with a personal trainer. Even if you did the same exact thing the day before, do it again. On the days you’re feeling super motivated, sign up for the class that “scares” you,jump on the treadmill and hit the sprint goal you’ve been working toward or try something you’ve never done before.
- Just Move: Movement in itself breeds motivation because our body literally releases hormones that make us feel happier when we start exercising. When we feel happier it is so much easier to feel motivated. When I can’t seem to get out of an unmotivated funk I throw my headphones on with my favorite podcast playing and just start walking outside or biking on the stationary bikes at Fitness Unlimited. Before I know it I’m 30 minutes in and feeling awesome which motivates me to keep going. Give this a try next time you’re in a funk, it works like magic!
- Have your go-to snacks on hand: Keep your favorite healthy snacks in the house at all times. That way you always have something healthy to munch on if you’re unmotivated to make a meal. Getting something healthy in is better than getting nothing in at all!
- Eat on repeat: Make big batches of your favorite meals and eat them all week long. It’s ok to eat the same combo of things on repeat all week long. If you know they are healthy and you are consistent with eating them you will feel great. Click here for some of my go-to healthy meals and snacks that I’ve been making on repeat this summer.
- Work on being better than you were yesterday instead of comparing yourself to others: In the fast paced world of social media it may seem like “everyone” is doing everything and you are getting left behind or not doing enough. This can lead to a lack of motivation and self doubt. I can promise you that you ARE doing enough and that you ARE enough. A lot of what you see on social media is either fake or is not done in real time. Next time you go down the rabbit hole of social media and start to feel overwhelmed, put your phone down and write down all the amazing things you have accomplished. This will help remind you of what you CAN do and how awesome you are. Once you remember how great you are it will be so much easier to consistently work towards your next goal.
I hope this helps you realize that feeling “successful” in health and fitness does not come from being super motivated everyday. It comes from doing the little things each day that add up to big results. My goal for you this week is to move 30 minutes every day and see what happens. I’m willing to bet that on the days you are least motivated you will end up getting some of your best workouts in. If you need help developing a consistent pattern please do not hesitate to reach out to work one-on-one together or if you prefer working in a group setting join our LBD program starting early fall!
Have an awesome and consistent August!
Jillian Boston
Please reach out anytime at jillianboston@gmail.com.
