Fitness Motivation: 5 Tips to Success
Something I get asked all the time is how to create fitness motivation and stay consistent, so today, we’re going to do just that! Before we get started, I’d like to get real for a second and say something you might need to hear. If you are able to work out, then you shouldn’t be taking that for granted. You should love the body that is allowing you to work out, because some people would love to be in your shoes. No matter how hard or terrible your life is, there is someone out there wishing they had your life. I just wanted to put that out there as we all need that reminder.
It’s no secret that I love living life and having a good cocktail. I don’t like deprivation or feeling as though I’m going to the extreme and swinging the pendulum too far in one direction. I feel like that’s actually just a rule for life! Any time you restrict yourself in a certain way and you’ve swung one way, that will let up eventually, and you’ll swing hard in the opposite direction. If you can find a balance between being happy and healthy, then your mind will be the healthiest. In turn, that will yield results. I truly feel that happiness equals progress. If you speak negatively to yourself, your body is going to say, “cool, game on.” I’ve been there. However, if you are progressing in your life and feeling good about what you’re doing, you will always be your happiest. When you’re at your happiest, your body will respond by achieving what your mind believes.
What I want to share with you is my 5 “S” Steps to Fitness Success. These are the steps I took on my own fitness journey, and they will give you some insight into how I see fitness motivation. I promise, this isn’t some weird gimmicky “you can do it” type of thing. I just want you to know that if you struggle with working out every day, you don’t have to be perfect or have the perfect setup.
Let’s jump into it!
1. Set-off Spirals & Triggers
What I’m talking about here are the things that you know set you off or make you spiral out of control. The first step is identifying what your triggers are. For me, 5 PM was a big trigger. When 5 PM hit, I knew in my mind that it was cocktail o’clock, so I wanted a cocktail and all the snacks, just out of pure habit. Maybe for you, on your drive home from work, you stop by McDonald’s. Maybe on the weekends, you order food instead of cooking at home. It can be anything!
The next step is figuring out how to replace that trigger with something that makes you equally as happy, or even just balancing it out. Try to flip the script! I aim to replace my triggers or make them as happy as I can, without the health side effects. The perfect example is cocktail hour. I’ll make a mocktail in a fancy glass and put some healthier snacks on a fancy plate, and that makes me just as happy! Pro tip: Most of the time, what we love about salty snacks is the crunch. You are so satiated by the feeling of the crunch, that if you replaced chips and dip with something like raw carrot chips and Greek yogurt dip, you would be just as happy. You might think I’m crazy, but try it! Now, to be clear, I don’t deprive myself of cocktails and unhealthy snacks altogether; I’m just more mindful of how often I’m having them, because I know they don’t make me feel great internally.
2. Supplements & Quick Fixes
I don’t mean this in the sense of taking a bunch of random stuff to possibly get a quick fix. I actually mean the opposite. If you’re lacking in physical exercise or proper nutrition with the hope of just taking a pill, drinking a special tea, etc., you’re doing yourself a disservice. What you could be doing in taking those things is hurting your body and setting yourself back, instead of doing the thing that might seem harder in the moment.
In terms of motivation, what this means is that you won’t feel defeated when you try to work out and get the promised results of said pill, but you don’t get those results because of the damage you’ve done to your body. It’s also about not putting it all on this one solution. You know deep down the only solution is going to be hard work, balanced nutrition, and sweating it out. There is no such thing as a quick fix.
In terms of supplements, figure out what works for you. What’s been working for me is pre workout, collagen, and probiotics. Sometimes I take a specific vitamin if I’m not feeling well, but other than that, I keep it really simple. I think there is something to be said for that! You don’t have to overcomplicate it or have it all under control knowing what to take and when. I just think you need something that’s legit and not some sort of magic pill. Once you find that, just be consistent and make it a part of your daily life.
3. Schedule & Calendar
Having a schedule is everything! What I want to share with you in terms of your schedule is to make sure you're scheduling time with yourself. If you have a friend, spouse, or someone that’s saying “hey, skip your workout and let’s go for drinks,” it can be tempting to just go ahead and skip it. I used to do this all the time! To break that habit, in order to not continuously skip my workout, I would just say, “I have an appointment.” Do you know who the appointment is with? It’s with YOU. The reason why I have something on my calendar every single day is because I believe that every single day you should either sweat or stretch, even if it’s just a five minute amazing rollout. I use the schedule in my Daily Grind Planner to block out that time each day. It's scheduled time for me, with myself, to just chill out and focus on nothing but breathing and doing my workout. I’m telling you, it’s therapeutic, and people that do it, know it. Schedule the time with yourself, and you’ll be that much more consistent with it.
You’ll also want to have a calendar to follow along with to make it easier to wrap your head around, and you’ll know in advance what you’re going to be doing each day. Last but not least, don’t forget to keep it fun! Keep it fun, keep it consistent, and you’ll get into a habit that you won’t want to skip! Bonus tip: Use a habit tracker to start tracking your workouts. Seeing that habit come to life will get you that much more motivated!
4. Support & Fit BFF’s
I have heard from so many people that they have a hard time staying motivated. Sometimes we have spouses, family members, or others in our lives that are not supportive of our fitness goals. Luckily, I have a great husband who has always been supportive, and values health and fitness. However, I have felt it from friends, family members, and even just being on social media. I think the best thing you can do for support is to find a little planet of people that will hold you accountable, cheer you on, and just get you. Create a buddy system where you check in with each other. Maybe that’s with a group you meet up with in person, or maybe it’s a virtual friend on social media. If you don’t have that, find it, because that support and accountability is everything! Having that little planet of people is worth so much more than you might realize, especially when you might not have it elsewhere. I know that it was for me on my own journey!
5. Systems to Start
I believe in having a system to follow so I know that every single day when I press “play” on my workout, I have a spot to go to. The way I do it is by blocking my work and making it excuse-proof. Everything is on my phone, so the workouts are performed through an app, and they can go anywhere with me. Get in, get it done, and get out. Cutting the excuses and putting your health first is SO important.
Figure out how you can make your workouts excuse-proof by seeing what your blocks look like; that way there’s a breakdown of what you’re doing, and it’s clear in your mind. Then, figure out where you’re working out and what equipment you need. Have it all laid out, so you can limit the moment where you’d say, “umm… I don’t know about this.”
To recap, fitness motivation comes down to learning about your set off’s & what makes you spiral, your supplements & good hearted nutrition, scheduling time with yourself, surrounding yourself with people that will support you anywhere, and having an excuse-proof system in place. When you have all of these details in order, you'll be confident in knowing that you can get it done, and you won’t stop yourself from starting.
We needed to have a real talk, so I hope this helped you get some motivation flowing. Feel free to drop any questions you might have in the comments. I love you, and I’m always cheering for you on your fitness journey!