My Road to Healthy: Getting (and staying!) Motivated

Motivation.

This is by far the hardest part of my journey to getting healthy. I have the food/diet down, and I'm sticking to it really well. I've been cooking alot and have found a TON of things that are good for me and really good. But exercising? Not so much. In the beginning it's such a novelty, you're pumped, enthused, full of adrenaline. Then, as all things, the novelty fades and reality comes back. I made this routine for myself - I was stuck to this new regime for a good week. Then the "oh, I did it yesterday I can skip today" excuses kicked in. I was "busy". Tired. Had to clean. Whatever. I am now made of excuses.

I needed to figure out a way to stay motivated, so I did a little searching online to find good tips on staying motivated when all you want to do is catch up on my DVR. 

I put together a list of things that helped me, and I wanted to share it with you guys in case we are all in the same boat, or just need that little boost to keep your enthusiasm up!

- Don’t start off trying to work out an hour every day and trying to lose 50 pounds in a month. Start with 20-30 minutes of exercise two to three times a week. Going for 10 pounds a week is unhealthy, and really overwhelming. It puts a lot of pressure on yourself, and that is when the motivation can fly right out the window.

- Don't forget to chart your progress, whether it's with a high-tech online tracker or an old-fashioned fitness journal. Seeing the tiny improvements, whether it's increased reps, faster walking, heavier weights, smaller measurements or working out more often, can really help boost your exercise motivation. This one tip really helps me.

- Don't compare yourself to others. Just don't do it. I don't know about anyone else, but it just depresses me.

- Have a support system. Maybe a friend can be a gym buddy or walk around the block with you. Help eachother out!

- Find some sort of fun in it. I HATE it and doubt I will ever find "fun" in sweating and huffing and puffing. I'm trying though, so that works. I don't do the gym, maybe one day, but for now I stick to at home DVD's and am attempting to walk more.

- You can make working out easier on yourself by splitting your exercise session into two or three sessions. Walk in the morning, do a dvd in the afternoon, walk again at night. This can be as beneficial as one long workout. So if you don’t feel like exercising for an hour at a time, do three sessions of 20 minutes each or something.

- Now my favorite, obviously lol. Reward yourself! Something that you enjoy, like a movie or shopping.
Try to think of treats that remind yourself that you are enjoying this because of all the great things you have been doing for yourself!

I hope this helped some people who are struggling like I am. I will do another update, or post another blog when I find some more tips or tricks that I would love sharing with all of you! Let's keep it up :]

Lots of Love,
XOXO Mary