Top Tips: How To Stay Motivated

Staying motivated.

Something that a lot of people struggle with.

Whether that be motivation to go to the gym or staying on track with your healthy eating, we all hit those low points where we just cannot be bothered.

THIS IS OKAY

I am fully of the belief that the key to staying on track is: balance.

That being said, I think there are a few things you can do to help yourself stay motivated and allow you to reach your goals in a happy, healthy way.

Routine

It takes the average person 66 days to make a habit. That is 2 months of consistency that you need to achieve in terms of your routine.

Decide which days of the week you are going to go to the gym. Decide what you are going to do on those days. Repeat.

If you can get to the gym knowing what you are going to do whether that be a weights session, a gym class or a session on the treadmill, you are already one step ahead. If you like a gym class, go every week. They'll be at the same time and I find that if you're really enjoying a class, it doesn't feel like a workout.

Within your routine, make sure to allow some rest. You won't want to go to the gym every day and that is okay. 2-3 rest days a week is absolutely fine and will make you more motivated to go on your allotted days.

My routine is as follows:
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Zumba
Wednesday - Weights (Upper body)
Thursday - Cardio
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Weights (Legs)
Sunday - EMOM Circuit/extra rest day

Meal Plan

Every Sunday, I sit down with my partner and we plan out what we are going to have for lunch and dinner through the week. Working in London this is an absolute must for saving money - I can't afford to be spending £8 on lunches every day. I will often plan meals that will make extra portions that we can either freeze or take to work for lunch the next day. It allows you to do one big food shop at the start of the week meaning you're a lot less likely to slip up as you already have the ingredients in that you need.

We only plan the working week. Weekends are for what we want to eat. We don't go overboard but we like to be able to go out for meals/aren't limited if we have plans.

Accountability

Using a tracking app, especially for food, I think really helps. Tracking calories/macros are hit and miss with different people. I like to use a tracking app as it keeps me honest with myself. However, as I've said in a previous post, I won't use the app to calculate my calories, just for tracking purposes only.

I also have a notebook where I write down the workout I did. This really helps me as I can see which exercises I've done recently and any improvements I am making across the weeks. I would fully recommend doing something like this, especially if you are a visual learner. I also use my notebook to have a look at exercises I haven't done for a while so I can add them back in to my routine.

I think these 3 things will really help you to stay motivated however, like I said at the beginning, balance is key.

If you want to have an extra day off then have an extra day off. If you want to eat a burger and chips then eat the burger and chips. You do not need to feel guilty and workout extra hard the next day.

I leave you with this: one salad won't make you healthy and one pizza won't make you fat. Don't let your life be dictated by fitness and healthy eating. If you aren't enjoying yourself, then what's the point.

CFG x