How to Stay Motivated to Work out and Eat Healthy (Part 1)

One question that I get asked very often is how do I stay motivated to workout and eat healthy with a busy schedule. Therefore, today I decided to write about some tips that have helped me and will help you stay motivated through your fitness journey and healthy lifestyle. There will be two parts to this post because there are so many tips that I want to share with you guys and I did not want the post to be too long and get boring halfway through! Therefore, let’s just dive into Part 1 of my tips on how to stay motivated to work out and eat healthy!

If you read My Journey to the Healthy Lifestyle, you have an idea about why I started to workout. Then it became more than about the physical looks, it was more for my health and me. At the beginning, it was very hard for me to stay motivated. I would start, then stop, then start again, then stop again… You kinda get the picture, right? I did my research and I found a lot of things that people do to help them stay motivated. Some of them worked for me, some did not! These tips are the ones which I found that work best for me and I hope that they will work for you too.

Have a purpose. Have a why.

Why did you, in the first place, decide that you want to start working out, eat well, and be healthy in general? What pushed you to do your first workout, to cook your first meal instead of having takeout? Whatever the answers to these two questions are, that’s your why, that’s your purpose. You might have decided to have a healthy lifestyle because there’s a history of chronic illnesses in your family such as diabetes, hypertension and you want to take measures in order to avoid those illnesses. Which means, you’re going to cook your food so you can control what goes in your body etc. Or it can simply be because you want to loose weight. Whatever made you see that you need some changes in your lifestyle, that’s your why. Therefore, every time you feel like giving up, remember your why, your purpose and KEEP GOING.

Set specific and realistic goals

Start with short term goal that you know you can accomplish if you put in the work. For instance, cutting carbs for a week, workout at least 4 days a week, meal prepping for the week, eating out once for the entire week… These short term goals are specific and realistic (if you put in the work), therefore, they are great when you’re trying to stay motivated and not be overwhelmed. Then you can move on to long term goals. Again you want them to be specific and realistic. For example, “I want to loose 20 pounds by the end of next year. Therefore, I will do grocery shopping every week, buy workout equipment (or get a gym membership) and eat out only once every week. I will eat at least 5 different fruits and veggies daily. When I reach my goal, I’ll book myself an appointment at a very nice spa.” This is a long term goal because you actually have a plan to achieve your goal and a reward planned since you know you’ll achieve it.

Set a schedule

If you use a planner or a calendar, take some time to go over your schedule to see where you can fit your workout routine into. It might mean that you have to wake up an hour earlier than usual so you can work out before school/work.  If you find that evening workouts work better for you, try to switch things around in your planner. Personally, I like working out in the morning, early afternoon better, that’s what work for me. Therefore, I try to wake up early so I can get my workout in.

Surround yourself with motivations.

It can be people who will cheer you on to keep going.  Don’t be afraid to stay away from people who are trying to make you feel like bad about yourself and bringing you down instead of pushing you to work harder on yourself. Or a bunch of motivational quotes around your house, on your phone as wallpapers. Try using a motivational board, I heard it works wonders! It’s actually on my list on new things to try. You can also use pictures that motivate you to work out such as fitness people who you admire; Be careful not to compare yourself to them though because it can be very toxic. I also know that sometimes, people buy clothes 1 or 2 sizes smaller than their actual size just so they can be motivated to work out and picture themselves fitting into the clothes. I’m not 100% sure if that works, I’ve personally never tried it. However, let me know if you’ve ever tried it and how it worked out for you. You can also write your “Why” down and stick it on a wall you look at every time.

Try Group Workout or Join a Fitness Class

I know a couple people who like to workout with others because it motivates them more in some ways; Especially when your workout partners are cheering you on. Try to get a friend to workout with you! If you cannot find anyone, then, join a fitness class. I took this spinning class last year at LA fitness with a couple friends and it was great! It was very intense so I did not stay for long because I could never feel my legs after the class. However, now that I look back, I wish that I have stayed and pushed myself to keep going. Personally, I like working out at home with my equipment or my workout toys (how I like to call them); however, I love a good partner workout because not only it’s fun but you push each other to go harder. I actually need a couple workout partners, let me know if you’re interested lol!

Tell yourself “I CAN AND I WILL DO IT’

Be your biggest cheerleader! Tell yourself that you can do it no matter how hard it gets! There’s this quote that I love, it says “Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind that you have to convince” -unknown. Isn’t it funny how when your body is doing or learning something new and you’re thinking that you’ll never be able to do it, then you never do it? However, when you think positively and tell yourself that you can and you will do it no matter how long it takes, your body gets use to it and you become a pro at it!  Always believe that you can do anything that you set your mind to. Keep telling yourself that you can change your lifestyle and become a better, healthier version of yourself. Keep telling yourself that you can and you will do that extra 15 squats today. Keep telling yourself that you can and you will run that extra mile. Keep telling yourself that you can and you will prep your meals instead of getting takeouts everyday. Because the truth is YOU CAN AND YOU WILL.

I really hope that these tips can help you find your motivation and stay motivated to achieve your fitness goals and become a healthier version of yourself!

As always, let me know if y’all have any questions! Do not hesitate to email me with any suggestions, questions because I love when y’all do!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Xoxo!

♥SmileyMaruth!♥