Ways to Motivate Yourself For Getting Fit
Motivation is never easy to acquire or maintain, especially when it comes to working out. We’ll often be caught making excuses, blaming it on our moods or our busy schedules. Nevertheless, that initial positive boost is crucial and will fill you with a great sense of accomplishment down the line. Remember that motivation goes hand in hand with commitment and consistency if you want to achieve your fitness objectives; once you find the former, you’ll automatically experience the latter. In that spirit, here are some useful pointers to help you keep your focus on your quest for a healthier body and mind.
Set Realistic Goals
A prime reason why many people fail to get fit is that they overreach. Instead of setting themselves up for gradual improvement, they revamp their whole routines overnight in hopes of immediate results. That is certainly not a sustainable way to go about it. Instead, strive for incremental changes. Whether your goal is to shed unwanted pounds, increase your flexibility, build muscle mass, or simply live in a healthier body, do so step by step; patience and perseverance are key.
If you want to lose weight, strive for a reasonable monthly objective. If you want to run a 5K, master shorter distances first. The same goes for amateur bodybuilders. Invariably, your body will need time to adjust to your new active lifestyle, and straining it with unattainable goals will do more harm than good.
Get a Fitness Tracker
One surefire way to stay motivated is to keep track of your own progress. In fact, your desire to get fit may come from seeing those mesmerizing before-and-after transformations on social media. And while that can be great motivation in itself, the fitness specialists from FitBug.com recommend investing in a device that allows you to monitor your heart rate, see how many calories you’re burning, the distances you’ve walked, etc. This will enable you to map out your progress and determine how far along you are from reaching your goals, which will push you even further. Scour the web to find a website with trusted reviews and shopping guides.
Find Activities you Enjoy
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the gym is the ideal place to get in shape. It certainly is a viable place to start, but you need to think bigger. Do you enjoy swimming, dancing, cycling, or mountain climbing? All these engaging activities are great for strengthening your core, improving cardiovascular health, building muscles, and increasing stamina, endurance, etc. As such, people who prefer not to visit fitness facilities will benefit from practicing their favorite activities while working towards achieving their goals. If you’re taking the sports route, better keep it diversified.
Surround Yourself with the Right People
Unless you’re a stubborn, first-class introvert, one of the best ways to perpetuate your motivation is to surround yourself with the right people, both within and without physical activity time. People play an essential role in our development, which is why surrounding yourself with positive, encouraging, and like-minded individuals can be all we need to follow through with our objectives. Sharing your new athletic hobbies and showcasing your progress with others will help you muster that faith you need to grow fitter, healthier, and happier.
Find Pleasures in Healthy Food
Let’s not forget about nutrition. While going to the gym or practicing a sport on a regular basis is vital to get your heart pumping, burn calories, and encourage muscle growth, what’s on your plate is just as important. Remember that living on drastic restrictions (no sodas, artificial juices, sweets, fast-foods, alcohol) never works; instead, seek to cut them out of your diet progressively.
Replace these empty calories with healthy, nutrient-rich foods, such as lean proteins, fresh fruits, organic vegetables, whole grains, nuts, dark chocolate, etc. Chances are they’ll allow you to improve your physical and cognitive functions, add structure and discipline to your life, and encourage you to follow the right path. You may even reward yourself with pizza or a juicy cheeseburger from time to time!
Last but certainly not least, keep your eyes on the prize. Engagement and rigor will take you far. While many claim that motivation can only come from within, there are countless situational factors that influence your willingness to follow through with your fitness goals. Therefore, it’s imperative that you surround yourself with a conducive environment in order to reap the full benefits of a fit, healthy lifestyle. Start slow and steady, diversify your workouts, track your progress, adopt a healthy, balanced diet, and seek encouragement from those who matter to you. With this newly calibrated routine, you’re guaranteed to see results in a matter of weeks!
