We are now in the month of February, and the mood that you made those lofty health and fitness resolutions may be fleeting. Well I'm here as your accountability partner to offer up some motivation and advice to rev your engines again. As we know, "Commitment is doing what you said you would, long after the mood you said it in has left." Sometimes that takes some re-up on motivation though—so here it goes:
1. You won't always be as motivated as you were when you first started. Motivation has its good and bad days. They key is to keep putting one foot in front of the other even when you don't feel like it. Remember it's a lifestyle, not a momentary fad.
2. Progress won't always be linear. Just like life has its ups and down, your fitness accomplishments do as well. Stay the course and don't get discouraged and defeated when you notice a zig zag in your results.
3. Find an accountability partner. For now it may be me and this article you're reading, but you need someone in your life that you trust to help you stay the course. When they see you fall off, they are sure to bring you up on it and get you back on track in a loving (or tough love) way.
4. Maintain a healthy balance. You don't have to burn yourself out in the gym 7 days a week and eat a diet like a rabbit every single day to maintain healthiness. It's important to find a healthy balance of foods you like to eat and activities you like to do.
5. If you fall off, get right back on. You WILL fall off. The only question is, how long? Whether it's a day, a few weeks, or even a year or two, it's important that you make the decision to get back to your healthy lifestyle and not make your unhealthy habits a lifelong setback.
6. Sleep and recovery time are just as important as the workout. Rest is just as important in keeping healthy as activity. If your body does not get a chance to rest and recover, it cannot maintain healthy function or meet your expectations for progress no matter how great your workout and eating regimen are.
7. Working out is not just for aesthetics, but overall quality of life. We don't live a healthy and fit lifestyle just to always to look good in our favorite pair of jeans. There are hundreds of benefits to exercising that don't involve aesthetics. Use these wins as encouragement too. You feel better, you more confident, you're not as winded going up that flight of steps, you have more energy during the day, etc. These reasons should all be your motivation as well.
