How to Stay Motivated on Your Personal Health Journey

Okay, so you want to be healthy and fit, right? But no one tells you how agonizingly hard it can be to consistently put in the work and the will power it takes to do so! Follow these tips and tricks to stay motivated to stick to your health and fitness goals.

1. Remind yourself why you want to get in shape, and remind yourself often. You have to do whatever it takes to keep your most motivating factors in the forefront of your mind. This looks a little different for everybody. Maybe you want to document your health and fitness journey in a notebook each night, and read what you wrote each morning. Maybe you want to set a reminder on your phone stating what your life could look like if you were healthier. Another idea is to print out and post motivational quotes/reasons for sticking to your goals all over your living space where you know you will see them (think: bathroom cabinet, bedroom door, refrigerator, etc.). Maybe you want to implement all of these ideas, or others! However you decide to remind yourself, just make sure you do it. Don’t let yourself forget about those goals before you ever give yourself a chance to see them through.

2. Make healthy eating fun. What kind of food do you like? Eating healthy does not mean eating gross smoothies for every meal. Healthy eating means having a well-rounded diet that includes a range of different food groups and many different recipes! You have to (quite literally) spice it up. Cooking healthy meals can be a great skill to learn whether you do it by yourself or with your partner or family! Once you get started with trying new recipes, you will see that the possibilities are nearly endless, and cooking can actually be a whole lot of fun.

3. Create Motivating Playlists. Studies show that people who workout to music actually push themselves harder and work out longer than those who workout in silence. Music has the ability to make us feel a ton of emotions, so why not use it to make you feel energized? Make your own personal workout playlist that is longer than your typical workout so that you can shuffle the playlist every time you work out and always get to hear a new set of favorites to keep you going.

4. Get Creative with your workouts. There are some really innovative fitness crazes out there, like UV-lit dance classes or spin class with music videos. Do some research on specialized studios in your area, and find out what classes are offered at your local gyms, as well. Try a few out until you find one that you really feel motivated to go to. Most classes repeat at the same time each week. Find one or two you like and make them a habit!

5. Stick to Your Goals Long Enough to see some positive results. Getting through the beginning of any health or fitness program is arguably the hardest part. Before you start seeing results, you don’t really have anything tangible to motivate you. Push yourself to just do it, knowing that if you stick to your goals, you will see results. Once you start to notice those initial positive changes in your body (and your mind, too!), the motivation will start to come naturally as you realize that you CAN do it!