Beat the Slump: How to Stay Motivated with Your Fitness Goals

If you’re like most people, you started the year off with a bang. You set some big goals motivated with your fitness goals and blasted off like a firework to make it “Your Year.” But now, a couple months in, the picture looks a little different: your motivation has dried up, and you’ve fallen back into old habits. Explore More About Health Issues And Their Solutions (Home Workout Ideas)

What happened? And how can you keep moving towards your goals without losing your drive?

Why We Lose Motivation

There are a couple reasons why our motivation gives out. Let’s explore them in more detail.

Our Goals Aren’t Realistic

A common problem is that we want to make a big change but fail to break it down into bite-sized achievements. Instead, we set goals that are either too long-term or too difficult. When we fail to meet these goals, we feel bad and the incentive to continue lessens. In short, we set ourselves up for failure.

We Lose Sight of the Big Picture

It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day realities of life and forget why you started on your fitness journey in the first place. Then you have a rough week and all you can think about is how you don’t want to get up at 5 a.m. to hit the gym. You forget the overriding reason you’re doing this in the first place. We’ll come back to this one in a bit.

Old Habits Die Hard

If your default setting is to come home from work and lounge in front of the TV, and you’ve been doing that for years, it can be really hard to work your way out of it. This is natural, but it’s another reason why we need to look beyond motivation to build a successful, long-term routine.

Motivated With Your Fitness Goals, The Good News—You Don’t Need Motivation

If you’re feeling a little hopeless after reading all that, don’t worry! Motivation isn’t that great, but it’s okay. You don’t need it. Here’s what you can do instead.

Find Your Why

You know you want to get in shape, but do you know why? Did you have a recent health scare? Maybe you want to make sure you stay in good health, so you can be around longer for your family. Do you want to look good in a bathing suit over the summer? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to run a marathon, and now’s the time. Whatever your core reason, it’s important to keep it at the center of all your plans.

Why does this matter? Because any goal worth reaching is going to get a little tough at some point. When you’re fighting to shed those last ten pounds (or add another ten to the bar), you’re going to have to dig deep. So next time you’re in the gym, ask yourself this question: “Why am I here?”

Use Your Why

Here’s how you can leverage your “Why” to help you push through tough spots.

• Grab a sheet of paper and jot down your fitness goal, whether it’s “get my cholesterol under 130” or “complete a half-marathon.” This is what you want to accomplish, motivated with your fitness goals.
• Take a moment to delve into your “why.” What’s the real driving force behind your desire to achieve the goal from step one? This is deeply personal, and any answer is valid. Just ensure you’re being honest with yourself, motivated with your fitness goals.
• Reflect on how you feel when you contemplate your “why.” Does it ignite inspiration within you? Maybe a hint of nervous excitement? Note down those emotions, motivated with your fitness goals.
• Visualize yourself triumphantly reaching your goal. You’ve done it! How does that sensation of achievement resonate with you? Pen down those feelings, motivated with your fitness goals.
• Place that piece of paper somewhere visible in your daily routine. Whether it’s taped to your bathroom mirror, nestled in your gym bag, or even under your pillow. The aim is to encounter it regularly and be reminded of why you’re pursuing your goals and the euphoria awaiting at the finish line, motivated with your fitness goals.

Make it Sustainable

Make sure not to push yourself too hard at the beginning of your program. It can be tempting to dive right into your training—no pain, no gain, right? But this is a recipe for a quick burnout, especially if you’ve been out of the gym for a while. What you want is a habit you can carry with you into the rest of your life.

To accomplish that, start slow and focus on building good habits and using proper form. This prevents early injuries and fatigue from derailing your plans. And remember, fitness is a lifelong thing. You’ve got plenty of time to add plates to your dead-lift, but you won’t be lifting anything if you throw out your back.

Set Realistic Goals

1. Setting ambitious fitness goals is important, but it’s equally crucial to ensure they are within reach. Motivated with Your fitness goals, setting realistic targets prevents demotivation that often stems from unattainable objectives.
2. Your fitness goals should inspire you to strive for greatness, but they must also be attainable. Motivated with Your fitness goals, finding the balance between challenge and achievability keeps you on track towards sustainable progress.
3. It’s easy to lose motivation when faced with goals that are too daunting or unrealistic. Motivated with Your fitness goals, it’s essential to set milestones that are challenging yet feasible, fostering a sense of accomplishment and driving continued dedication.
4. While it’s tempting to aim for the stars, overly difficult goals can lead to frustration and setbacks. Motivated with Your fitness goals, it’s wise to set objectives that align with your capabilities, ensuring steady advancement and maintaining enthusiasm for the journey.
5. Striving for perfection in every workout or diet plan is unrealistic and can sap your motivation. Motivated with Your fitness goals, focus on setting targets that are both inspiring and within your grasp, allowing for consistent progress and a lasting commitment to your well-being.

Here are some tips for setting useful goals:

1. Use the SMART framework. SMART is an acronym to help you remember the key elements of a good goal. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
2. Share your goals. Rope in a trusted friend and make them an accountability partner. Share your goal with them and ask them to hold you to it. Maybe they need some accountability, too (we all do), and you can help them reach their own goals in the process.
3. Set a deadline for yourself. This is part of the SMART goal system. For example, if your goal is to bench press 225 pounds, look at where you’re at now and give yourself a challenging but reasonable deadline. Then set smaller milestones along the way to keep yourself on track and moving towards the larger target. If you want to hit 225 in six months, you can set a goal of 200 for three months, or a weekly goal to add 5 or 10 pounds to the bar.

Build Strong Habits and Discipline

1. Establishing robust habits and discipline is crucial for achieving fitness goals.
2. There will be days when the allure of the gym or another serving of chicken and rice might wane, but consistent practices are key.
3. Motivated with Your fitness goals, cultivate small, consistent practices to steadily advance toward your objectives.
4. These routines, motivated with Your fitness goals, may pertain to exercise or diet.
5. For instance, motivated with Your fitness goals, opt to jog every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.
6. Alternatively, motivated with Your fitness goals, commit to consuming chicken and vegetables for lunch daily.
7. The essence lies in instigating actions that occur instinctively, devoid of the necessity for conscious deliberation or emotional involvement.
8. It’s Wednesday? Motivated with Your fitness goals, time to lace up those running shoes.
9. Colleagues suggesting McDonald’s? Motivated with Your fitness goals, politely decline as your packed lunch awaits.

The Role of Discipline

In a similar vein to building good habits, work on your discipline. Instead of waiting for a day when you feel like working out, discipline yourself to go to the gym every day, whether you feel like it or not. Over time, it’ll become second nature to get up and go, and you won’t even have to think about it.

The nice thing about discipline is that it carries through to other areas of your life outside of fitness. It can help you lose weight, get more exercise, file those TPS reports on time, and cut the grass even in the dead of summer.

How to Hack Your Habits

Building good habits takes time and effort, but there are some things you can do to minimize your natural resistance to new routines. Here are a few ideas:

1. Set up your gym gear the night before: motivated with Your fitness goals, laying out your workout clothes and packing your gym bag the night before eliminates excuses and ensures you’re ready to hit the gym as soon as you wake up.
2. Prep your meals in advance: motivated with Your fitness goals, preparing your meals ahead of time removes the temptation to opt for fast food and ensures you stay on track with your nutrition plan.
3. Unplug your TV: motivated with Your fitness goals, disconnecting your TV makes it more difficult to succumb to Netflix binges, freeing up time for exercise or meal prep instead of spending hours watching shows.
4. Reward yourself: Motivated with Your fitness goals, incentivize yourself with rewards for sticking to your new habits for a week, reinforcing positive behavior patterns and increasing your commitment to long-term fitness goals.
5. Establish a routine: motivated with Your fitness goals, create a consistent schedule for workouts and meal prepping, making them integral parts of your daily life and prioritizing your fitness journey.

See how this works? Set yourself up for success.

Hire a Coach

One of the best things you can do is have someone who’s also invested in your success to encourage you and keep you going. Sometimes a friend is too close to be honest with you, though. Or maybe you need some pro know-how.

This is where a wellness coach can really come in handy. A good coach can help you stay on track to reach your goals and offer unbiased advice. And you often get the benefit of a custom-tailored workout routine and meal plan, too.

Finding a workout Buddy

Finding a workout buddy can significantly enhance your fitness journey. Having someone to exercise with not only adds accountability but also makes workouts more enjoyable and motivating. When you have a workout buddy, you’re more likely to stick to your exercise routine and push yourself harder during workouts. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or colleague, having a companion who shares your fitness goals can provide invaluable support and encouragement. Your workout buddy can be a source of motivation during challenging times and celebrate your achievements with you. With a workout buddy by your side, you’ll feel more motivated to stay consistent and committed to your fitness goals.

How to Pick a Wellness Coach

Choosing a coach is a big deal. You want someone who can strike the right balance between providing positive reinforcement and encouragement while also challenging you and holding you accountable. Here are a few tips for picking a great coach:

1. Deep knowledge is a requirement, not a bonus. A fitness or wellness coach should know a lot about obscure exercise variations and proper form. They should also be knowledgeable in good, healthy nutrition. This is the foundation for pretty much any wellness goal, whether it’s related to weight, performance, or general health.
2. It’s all psychological. The right wellness coach for you is the one that can find the unique way to motivate and push you without taking things too far. There’s a surprising amount of psychology involved in this. The coach should understand your personality, hang-ups, and concerns regarding fitness, and they should be able to work with those to build a plan that works for you.
3. Try them out. Don’t just go with the first coach you meet! You should interview several potential coaches to see how things feel. The right balance of tough love and encouragement can vary from person to person, and there’s no way to tell how a coach is going to work without spending some time with them.

Finding a wellness coach that’s a good fit can make all the difference, so it’s worth putting some time into.

Above all else, remember: fitness is a journey. This is a long road, with many milestones and goals to reach along the way, and it’s something you’ll hopefully continue for the rest of your life. Start with good practices now, and you’ll make things much easier for yourself down the road.

FAQS

What are some strategies you use to stay motivated?

How can I stay motivated?

• Regularly review your goals and progress.
• Continue to set new goals.
• Keep the momentum up.
• Find mentors, for example, someone you look up to who is experienced in the habit you want to change.
• Surround yourself with positive people.

What is one way to improve motivation?

One way to give a boost to your internal motivation is to create some external motivation: a target date. Whatever it is you’re aiming to accomplish, put it on the calendar. You may be working toward a goal with a set finish date built in.

What type of motivation is most effective?

Because intrinsically motivated behavior is not contingent upon any external reward or punishment, and involves self-directed motivation, it is both stronger and longer lasting, especially in the face of challenges.