Motivational strategies that help me stay on track

Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what makes you going. Staying motivated and dedicated is one of hardest things, while managing our busy lives, taking care of our families, making sure our job is done the best we can and taking a few minutes to ourselves. But then reality hits us.

How to stay motivated?

You have to let yourself be human and come to terms that it is okay to not feel like working out today. Motivational prep talks might wear off after a while and we find many excuses to not workout again. It rains, you are tired and not feeling well, you just had a fight with someone, you had a stressful day at work etc. Even more the reasons to release some pressure and set endorphins free. We all have these days, including me. As long as we don’t procrastinate for weeks and weeks and don’t let it become a habit there is nothing bad about skipping a day of workout. Just catch up again the next day.

Be aware of obstacles crossing your path.  Do not try to find a way out of your workout today, tomorrow and the following days, because there is something way more important to do. It is easy to be fooled by the idea that once you set your goals and you are ready to get started it will be an easy journey. It will challenge you from time to time, you will have days where you don’t feel like working out at all and other days where you enjoy every minute of it.
Don’t rely on your motivation to kick in every single time you set yourself the goal to workout. Rather than giving in to these negative thoughts, just accept them and find something else you can focus on to help you fight through these times. You got this!

Here are some motivational strategies I found very helpful and which have worked for me along the way up until today to get started and stay on track.

Goal Setting

Goal setting is very important. If you don’t know what your goal is, how do you expect to find out what it takes to get where you want to be?

• Realistic goals

Make realistic goals that you are able to achieve. Don’t expect a miracle within the next day or week and be disappointed when the beach body has not yet arrived. Changes don’t happen over night and we need patience and dedication to get where we want to be. Give yourself time to adjust to this new lifestyle and value small changes and be proud of them.

• Break down your goals

Your goals have to be be more specific than “I want to become fit” or “I want to become healthy”. These once are too wage and too hard to measure in order to point a finger on it and decide whether you have actually achieved your goal.
Break them down into short term (can be achieved in a couple of days or few weeks) mid term (weeks-months) and long term (months to years) goals.

Otherwise it is very easy to feel overwhelmed and likely to give up because we don’t see the expected and hoped for changes in our lives. Stay realistic and truthful to yourself. Set your focus on one area that you want to change first and then the next one once you have achieved the first.

• Visualize your goals

Write down your goals for example on a post-it, in your diary or on a banner across from your bed in order to visualze them every day. Make sure you see it every single day and you will automatically be reminded of it.

Incorporate your workout circuits in your schedule and daily life

It is much easier to not do something that was never on your schedule in the first place. Set yourself a time and day and maybe even place where you will do your workouts.
Make it become your workout routine and habit to workout at the same time every day. Set an alarm if that helps you to stay on track and not forget about it.

Find a workout buddy

Working out is so much more fun with a friend and workout buddy.
You might have different short term goals, but your long term goal or making it through the program and staying focused will be the same.
Set a date and time and have her/him join you.

Track your fitness transformation

In my ShapedFit Guide you will find challenges and retest to track your improvement from day one on. Shoot transformation pictures every Monday at the same time and in the same clothes to visualize your improvements. You can do this no matter whether you work out with my guide or not.

Start and hang in there

Once you started it is very unlikely that you will give up half way through. You will workout until your session is done.
After a couple of weeks when you see your progress you won’t ever want to stop anymore. You will see all the benefits that come with fitness. Not just the great shape your body will be in. You will feel more balanced, energized and healthy overall. You won’t feel so guilty about that nutella bread you had for breakfast or the pizza night with your girlfriends. Make it a habit to workout everyday.

Trying to rush through a workout and maintaining high intensity for 24/7 will be hard. It will wear off very quickly, becomes very frustrating and leads to giving up more easily. Aim for progress not perfection. Aim for a balanced lifestyle where off days and junk food is allowed here and there as well.

Rely on your habits

It is helpful to rely on your habits and stick to your schedule that you have set for yourself. You won’t ever say „I regret that workout today“ Especially not after a rough day at work or at home. It will release endorphins that will make you feel better regardless of your mood when you started. Which doesn’t mean you should not listen to your body when it really needs a break and rest. But fort he most times it is not our physical health that needs a break. It is us simply wishing for one. So get yourself off that couch and work out anyway.

Find something that you enjoy doing

Listen to the music that motivates and inspires you. Don’t go running if you dislike it. Go for a bike ride or swim instead, if that is more for you. How about a cardio group fitness class or badminton battle with your friends? Stay flexible and try it all out until you find the right workout for you. Combine your workout with things you like to do and you will see it won’t be so bad to workout anymore.

Explore your surroundings while you go for a run or bike ride. Cool off while taking a swim in a lake, the ocean or pool. Listen to the music or watch your favorite show while you get your strengthening training session in for the day.

Enjoy what you do and be happy with your decisions and you will be able to maintain the lifestyle you wanted.

Wear comfy workout clothes in which you feel great in

Seems kind of odd, but it helps. Cloths make people is true for fitness as well. Your workout cloths have a high impact on the way you feel towards fitness and the exercises and how motivated you stay. Stock up your wardrobe if you can, free from distracting buttons, zippers, and other things that will have you fidget during your workout rather than staying focused on the exercise.

Turn negative thoughts into challenging good ones and reward yourself

For example, instead of thinking “I am too tired to workout”, rather think, “Lets see how many more lunges I can do today”.
Reward yourself when you have reached your short/middle and long term fitness goal with something that you will enjoy and/or always wanted to have. You deserved it!

Let’s go and crush the next workout guys. You got this!