How to Stay Motivated

It's been a couple of rough weekends!!! I manage to keep my nutrition on point during the week and I kill my 7 workouts, and then the weekend comes around and I undo all my hard work.

So what changes have I made to stay committed and focused? Mostly by writing it all down. Everywhere. My workout schedule is posted in my bedroom, on the fridge, in the workout area, and at work. I mark off each day with an X, and it's my countdown to my vacation! I'm working my butt off to get to vacation.

How do you stay motivated? Here's some tips to keep on track, keep focused, and keep going! 

*After figuring out WHAT you want to accomplish, you’ve got to find your WHY’s.

• Set weekly goals and visualize the outcome.
• Don’t beat yourself up for a missed goal—it happens.
• Take breaks when you’re feeling burned out.

While I want to be a skinny mini (what girl doesn't?), I don't actually see that as a realistic goal. However, what I do plan is to be a good example to my sons. I want them to see us working out and know that's it's normal. I want to lower my cholesterol and keep it out of medication range. And most importantly, I want to eliminate my risk of Type II Diabetes. I might not ever be able to do that, I had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies, both my parents have it, I am considered "obese". I'm kinda screwed. BUT, if I can eat right and exercise, I will keep my blood sugars at a decent level and not be diagnosed and require medication. 

My short term goals are to keep working out and feel good. My workouts, while having a physical benefit, are mostly a mental benefit. Working out actually helps my anxiety and depression the most. It's the endorphins. They make me happy. :)  

I had some short term goals about being below 200 pounds by May 1st (didn't happen) and fitting in a certain dress by June 3 (not going to happen.) But I am NOT beating myself up. I could have been there had my nutrition been on track, and it wasn't. But I have been happy and content. And the dress, eh, I might not ever fit in that dress, it was pre-babies and my body has changed. 

I'm on a strict 8-week workout, but I listen to my body and have taken a Rest Day once a week. My knees are really hurting and I might have to switch a workout (Hammer Power) if it shows up again in the next few weeks. 

*Post Your Goals - Tell everyone about your Goals 

Posting your short-term daily goals in a place where you automatically see them each day will help you to stay focused, motivated, and committed to staying on task. You can post them on your bathroom mirror, or like me, I keep my workout calendar with vacation countdown in multiple places. I also keep my goals on a huge whiteboard in my bedroom.

Share your goals with your friends and family. Let your spouse know what your goal is -- they can help you stay committed. Talk about them on Facebook so your friends can encourage you and then you are accountable!

Join a Challenge Group! It's daily motivation seeing other women working out and eating right and helps me stay motivated to keep up with them. :)

* Prepare Daily for “What-Ifs”

Before your day begins, ask yourself if there are any challenges that may interfere with your daily goals. For example, what if you get invited to a last-minute lunch meeting? What if your child asks you to read one more book at bedtime but you need to go work out? What if you’re going out to celebrate a friend’s birthday? For each what-if, make a plan to cope with the challenge while still staying committed to your fitness and nutrition. Of course, there are plenty of uncontrollable distractions, but strategizing on how to cope with your most common challenges will set you up to deal with anything that happens during you day.

Right now both Jason and I work out in the evenings, and on Friday nights we discuss when we'll get in our weekend workouts. Whether it's going to be in the morning, afternoon, or evening depending on our plans.

Some things can be planned and saved as your cheat meal. We have a wedding this weekend and I know it'll be my cheat. While I was doing the Ultimate Reset, in order to stay 100% true to my commitment, I turned down a couple free lunch opportunities. And this girl doesn't turn down free lunch. Meal planning and knowing you schedule (and friend's birthdays) is important to staying on track. And if you're invited out to lunch, do your best! 

Journal Your Effort

There is no doubt that tracking your nutrition and fitness improves your chances of achieving your goals. But I also recommend keeping a diary in which you answer the following question each day: Did I exert every ounce of effort to achieving my goals today? If your answer is yes, great! If your answer is no, write down one thing you can do tomorrow to be better than you were today.

I've been journaling for over a year. Sometimes I write down my emotions, sometimes I write about my exercising or nutrition. I found the best accountability I had recently was when I did a photo log of everything I ate. I felt a lot more accountable since I was posting my food.

Writing my blog is therapy for me too - I don't really do it for my readers, I do it so I can see how far I have come! It's also why we do before and after pictures, taking measurements - it's the best way to see how your effort is paying off!

So write it down. For yourself or for others.