Remember Where You Started: Tips To Rediscover Your Motivation
As a health and fitness coaches, we often hear people say that beginning a healthy lifestyle is the hardest part of their fitness journey. But after years of being in this industry, I would say that continuing the journey is even harder.
We have ALL been there — that beginner phase.
We’ve all had that first class when we were so nervous we could puke, wondering how the heck we’ll be able to keep up and if we will ever be able to do a pull-up.
We push through the first few weeks and months. We begin seeing results, and then life happens. The flames that were once so strong begin to burnout and we get stuck feeling unmotivated.
We begin to work half-ass in our workouts, we find reasons to skip the gym, and we begin to indulge in foods we know we shouldn’t.
How Can You Get Back on Track?
- Revisit your goal. Tune into the why behind your goal. What inspired you to take the steps in the beginning? For some of us this this could mean you were overweight, unhealthy, weak, recovering, lost, stressed, sick, etc.
- Keep short-term goals in sight. Sometimes having a goal that seems so far out there can be daunting and overwhelming. Break goals down into smaller ones. For example, if your goal is to lose ten pounds, focus on losing one pound in a week or two. Plateaus will happen. They are part of the process.
- Give yourself credit for the small wins. These could include how much better your clothes are fitting, that you are adding more whole foods to your diet, or that you’re eating less sugar and drinking more water!
- Track other things besides your weight. I have talked about this in the past. The scale does not define you. It’s not a reflection of who you are, your strength, your intelligence, your kindness, your beauty, and it sure the heck does not determine your worth. Instead, take note of how much more confident you are feeling or changes in sleep and energy. Tuning into non-scale victories is a key factor in making your transformation journey last.
- Be creative — especially if you are injured. This sucks. I have been there and am still having to modify some workouts. But it is ok. I still show up and do what I can by moving my body. There is more than one way to reach your exercise goals. Our mission at CPM is to make sure all workouts can cater to anyone who walks in the door.
- Find an accountability buddy. You don’t have to do it alone. Having a buddy to check-in with can be motivating. You can cheer each other on, share your struggles and trade tips.
- Touch base with your coach. We at CPM can help you make tweaks to optimize the good habits you already have in place, and introduce some new tips and tricks to get you moving in the direction you want. We also do a good job of providing you with a much needed reality check.
- Never stop grinding for your goals. This step is always worth taking, whether it is in fitness or in life. I promise you will reap the reward. I challenge you all — no matter how hard it gets in any area of life, to just always keep pushing through. Always remember where you started!
Need Some Motivation?
Maybe you’ve already started your health journey and just got lost along the way. Or, maybe you’ve never started and you’re ready to dive in.
At CPM Fitness in Sioux Falls, we help people of all ages and abilities find a sustainable, healthy lifestyle through individual coaching and encouraging group classes. What are you waiting for?
