If staying healthy was easy, everyone would always be in their best health. There wouldn’t be so many alternatives like weight loss pills and other supplements promising miracles. Doctors wouldn’t be in such high demands.
Staying healthy is the hard road. It’s so much easier to just stay in bed or on the couch. Fast foods are cheaper and taste better than many healthy options. Choosing ice cream makes us feel happier than a bowl of salad.
We often make up excuses to skip the gym like the lack of time or too tired. If we listen to those little voices, no one would ever meet their goals. It’s not impossible to stay healthy. The motivation is there, we just have to reach for it.
Being healthy is like any other goals. It takes work to get there. Along the way, we may find ourselves lacking in motivation. Here are some tips to keep the motivation up to reach the end game.
Know your why
To get to the end game, you have to know what it is in the first place. You can’t just workout because others tell you that you should. There’s always something you want. Figure out what your goal is. It’s the key to learn how to get there. If you have no goal, it will be harder to be motivated.
It’s not enough to simply have a broad goal like simply losing weight. How much weight do you want to lose? When do you want to finish losing all that weight? It’s all part of the goal. The clearer the end game is, the easier it is to make the ideal plan to get it.
This is the age of social media. You already share almost everything else in your life, so why not your new lifestyle? Sharing your healthy activities online make you more likely to honor them because you are committing yourself to both you and others.
Start posting your healthy menu choices. Post some work out activities. You don’t have to do it alone. Many people will jump at the chance of joining you on your journey. Others may be facing a similar battle as you. They want to be healthy, too. Seeing your posts might motivate them to join you. Now, you’re both motivating each other and meeting your goals.
It’s important to know the other person’s goals. It’s better of both of your goals align with each other. This way you can make plans together and keep each other accountable for the entire journey.
Develop a habit
One of the toughest parts of the healthy lifestyle is the beginning where you have those pesky habits holding you back. You’ll have to fight with yourself to develop better ones. You’ll find it easier to go to the gym if it’s part of your daily routine. It’s all about rewiring your brain. Make some post-it notes, write up your goals and your plans. Make it easier on yourself to accept the new normal.
It won’t happen all at once, so prepare for a fight with your mind. The hard part is the starting point, though. After about 21 days of the same routine, it’ll be the new normal. You’ll have better habits to help you reach your goals.
Track yourself
Tracking yourself is necessary if you don’t get lost. Once you get started on the journey, you’ll find new doors opening themselves for you. You can get too wrapped up in everything and lose your way.
To prevent that from happening, it’s best to track your progress. You must always know where you stand in your journey. It helps you to decide if you need to make some changes in your journey. You might find that the routines you develop are producing results slower than you desire. It’d be best to decide whether you need to adjust your routines or your goals.
Take small steps
Getting there as quickly as possible is tempting, but keep in mind it might not be the healthiest. Simply because they are healthy choices don’t mean that they won’t harm your body. Losing weight too fast can affect your health in drastic ways.
Physical changes happen slowly. The body needs time to adapt and change evenly. It may become frustrating if you don’t see any progress toward your big goal after a couple of days or weeks. It’s best to make your goal become more achievable. The way to do this is to break your ultimate goal. Make smaller goals that can be reached in shorter amount of time. That way, you can see the progress and stay motivated to make more.
Give yourself rewards
When you achieve those little goals, take time to reward yourself. It will make everything seem less of a chore. It also makes you want to keep going because the more goals you reach, the more rewards you can give yourself.
However, don’t make those rewards food related. Stay away from anything that may disrupt your progress. Even though rewards must be something you like, make it something that falls in line with your new lifestyle. Try buying new clothes or a day at the spa.
It’s helpful to have a list of rewards beforehand. Make them fun and unique. This way, you always have something to look forward to.
Make it enjoyable
People don’t like to do chores, so don’t make it a chore. Make the lifestyle enjoyable. You don’t have to force yourself to eat food you hate. There are plenty of healthy options available.
It’s all about the journey, so fill it up with things you like. Do activities you enjoy and eat food that you like. If you like everything you do and eat, it will eliminate the tendency to go back to your old ways. Staying healthy doesn’t stop once you’ve reached your goal. You have to keep it up for the rest of your life. Otherwise, it’s all pointless.
Staying healthy brings in changes in your life. Don’t rely on others too much to make it happen. It’s up to you to get there and maintain. The way to do that is to make it enjoyable and realistic.
