As the weather cools down and the days get shorter, it’s easy to lose your stamina when it comes to staying fit and healthy. It’s so much easier to snuggle down into some snacks and some television like a bear going into hibernation (but they don’t do treats and entertainment). But you know what happens when you let yourself slip into the oblivion of winter. You pay for it when spring comes. You have to start all over.
So how can you stay motivated? Well, there are a few things that might help.
- Identify your Why. Why do you want to be healthy? Is it for your children, your grandchildren? Is it because you want to keep those pounds off that you lost? Is it because you like who you are becoming and you don’t want to let that person slip away? Think about what your why is, and write it down. And then use it to your fitness advantage by daily remembering and committing to that reason. If you have trouble remembering, set an alarm on your phone or bundle it with something you do every day (like when you make coffee or brush your teeth).
- See the future. This goes along with the why, but it’s a little different. You need to have a vision for what’s next. It’s great that we’ve established our why, but we also want to create a vision for the future- like “What will my life look like if I don’t quit?” Better than that, though, we can create a feeling, which is even more powerful. Ask yourself, “How will I feel in 3 months if I don’t quit?” Close your eyes and feel that feeling. Will you feel stronger? Empowered? Successful? Now stay with that feeling. Do that as often as you can (mornings and evenings are great, and if you can sneak in a little time during the day- even better). This exercise will create a plan for your subconscious to motivate you to stay on track. Top it off with a little gratitude, and you have a powerful transformation tool that will help keep you focused.
- Set the stage. Setting the stage includes possibly changing the time of day when you normally exercise. You see, it’s not that we lose motivation as much as the fact that we don’t always utilize our energy in a way that serves us. For instance, the middle of the day may be a more optimal time for us to move our bodies because there is more daylight which makes a lot of us feel more energized. There is research that supports the idea that motivation wanes and that we are better off if we follow our natural energy levels to see how we should plan out our day and thus our activities. This means that we would want to plan our most important activities (like fitness activities) for times when we have the most physical and mental energy. The benefit to scheduling fitness activities as a priority is that fitness activities actually give us energy back. It might not happen all at once, but it does happen when you keep a consistent schedule. And in keeping with the “set the stage” concept, we’ve just released the Afternoon Refresh workout so you can set the stage for success by getting your workout done when the sun is still shining its bright, life-giving energy.
