It happens to all of us at some point or another—we lose motivation with our fitness goals, our careers, or anything else that we are working towards. It is easy to fall off schedule and feel like giving up sometimes, but there are things you can do to get back on track and even prevent losing that motivation in the first place. Staying Motivated.
Set a Schedule To Getting Staying Motivated
None of us can feel motivated all the time. Instead of trying to dig deep to find that motivation on days that you just don’t want to do what you need to do, try implementing whatever that is into your daily or weekly routine. On Sunday before each workweek (or whatever day works for you), set some time aside to plan out your week. If you are struggling to stay motivated to go to the gym, plan out the exact times and days when you are going to go.
That way, when that day comes, you have already set aside time for it and you don’t have any excuse not to go. Treat it as a meeting with yourself; you wouldn’t cancel last minute on a meeting with your boss or client, so you shouldn’t cancel your meetings with yourself, either. The meetings with yourself are equally as important.
Remember Why You’re Doing It
When things get busy, overwhelming, or even boring, it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Why are you going to the gym and taking extra time to cook a healthy meal? Why are you studying for your exam, or staying overtime at the office? It’s been a long day and you would rather order from your favorite fast-food restaurant or just stop studying and watch some TV.
If you take a few minutes to reflect and remember why you are doing these things, it can be easier to find the motivation to push through and finish what it is that needs to be done. Find that thing that is pushing you to keep going. No matter how boring or frustrating the task is, it will get you one step closer to reaching your ultimate goal.
Find an Accountability Friend or Coach
For some reason, we are much more inclined to work hard and finish what we need to do when we know that someone is holding us accountable. We don’t like to disappoint, especially when someone is counting on us to achieve something. If you are struggling to find the motivation to eat healthily and work out, find a friend or even a coach to keep you accountable.
Ask a friend to go work out with you so that you cannot bail on going to the gym, because in that case you would also be bailing on your friend and they wouldn’t be happy with you. An accountability coach or even a regular coach can also hold you accountable with weekly or bi-weekly meetings. You won’t want to show up and tell them that you haven’t made any progress since the last time you saw them, so you will make sure that this isn’t the case.