- Set a goal for yourself. It is so important to have goals that you want to achieve. This not only gives you something to work for, but it gives you something concrete to celebrate when you have met and surpassed that goal. Write down your goals so you always have them as a reminder of what you want to accomplish. I find that it works best to be specific when you write goals. Try to have a "what," a "why," and a "how" in your goals. For example, don't just say, "I really want to lose three pounds." Rather, you could say, "I would like to lose three pounds because I want to be able to wear something other than sweatpants and I will do it by eating Kalteen bars." (Of course this is NOT a goal you want to achieve, just a humorous example.) It also helps if you give yourself a timeframe for your goals that is realistic and gives you enough time to be successful.
Don't set goals like Regina does.
- Find you "why." This is something that seems difficult, but can actually be very easy. Why do you want to workout, eat right, and be healthy? It could be because you want to fit into a special outfit. Maybe you have an event coming up and you want to look and feel your best. Perhaps you want to improve your health and just generally feel better. You could want to do it so you can have the energy you need to play with your kids. Whatever your reason is, make it yours and not someone else's. If you are doing this for someone else or reasons that are not your own, you may be more likely to be unsuccessful.
- Find the workout that works for you. If every day when you wake up you are already dreading your workout, it's probably not the best fit for you. When you find a workout that you really enjoy, you will be more likely to do it and, therefore, get great results. I know that I do not like yoga, so doing an hour of it would be dreadful for me. For others, doing intense cardio would be like torture, but it's what I love. There are so many different ways to workout--don't limit yourself! For some people (like me), at-home workout programs work the best. For others, it's going to the gym. Some people love to be outside, swim, play sports--the list goes on! Find what you like and go from there.
- Get a workout buddy. Studies have shown that when you work out with someone else, you're more likely to do it. When you have someone else who is depending on you and keeping you accountable, you'll show up. That other person will support you and encourage you. Another benefit to having a workout buddy is that when you workout with other people, you are more likely to push yourself harder. I don't know why, but it's true!
- Use your results to push you farther. Once you start getting great results, let that be your motivation! Your clothes will start fitting better, you will have more energy, other people will start to notice your success and will ask what you have been doing, and you will begin to see what else you are capable of and how much more success you can have.
- Use how you feel as a motivator. As with the previous tip, remember how you feel on the days that you work out and eat right. Remember how much energy you have, how you were able to push yourself harder in your workout, and how you didn't feel sluggish. Then, think about how you feel on days when you don't workout or you don't eat right. Also, when starting your workout, don't think about getting started, think about how great you feel when you're done and how accomplished you feel when you are able to finish something, especially when you may not have wanted to when you started.
- Plan ahead and don't leave it to chance. This is a HUGE part of being successful when working out and eating right. If you don't have your meals prepped, you'll be more likely to go out to eat. If your meals are prepped, you'll eat them! You will be surprised how simple it can be to meal prep (I will be doing a blog post on this soon!). If you don't have your workout scheduled into your day, something else will take that time. Literally write down when you're going to do your workout each day, whether it be a specific time or something like, "first thing in the morning" and make sure that it becomes a part of your day. Once it does, it will be just like anything else and you will do it, everyday.
- Change your mindset! Tell yourself that you can keep going. Remind yourself that you have goals that you want to reach. Do not let yourself quit! Did you know that the body does what the mind tells it to? How unbelievably cool is that? So, if your mind says, "I'm tired, I'm done, I'm not doing anymore," your body will believe you and stop. If your mind says, "I've got this, I'm almost done, keep going," you will! I know it sounds crazy, but it's true! Try it out and see. Turn that negative voice into a positive one. Once you change your mindset, you've got this!
- Do not beat yourself up if you have to stop. If you're in the middle of a workout and you just cannot push yourself any harder, stop! You don't want to get injured or push yourself until you're sick. Make sure that you are stopping because you have to, though, not just because you want to. Most importantly, if you do have to take a rest and push pause, that's okay! Don't be upset about it. Tell yourself that next time you are going to make it 3/4 of the way through the workout or finish a specific move. Don't dwell on the past because that will only negatively affect your future.
- You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for. Typically we think we can't do something or are hesitant to try because we think we will fail. You never know what you are capable of until you do it! So lift heavier, push harder, finish that minute! When you are dying and you push yourself, that's when you will really see results.
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