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Monday, March 31, 2014

Monday Motivation

We all know that I've been struggling lately. And what I've noticed is that many other people are, too. So, when I was contacted by Emily - a woman who wrote a previous blog post for me - I knew exactly what topic she could write about this time: staying motivated. I hope you enjoy her post, "4 Tips for Fitness Motivation"! It's worth reading!

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"When I start a brand-­‐new fitness regimen, I am full of motivation. As I get toned and make more progress with the workouts, I feel better and it keeps me going. But after a while, the improvements start to slow down. And if I’m not seeing a big difference either in the mirror or on the scale, it can get more difficult to stick with it. Luckily, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve to give myself a boost and keep my momentum when I need it most.

1. Planning. I am a mom, and that means everything is scheduled. If I do not have time set aside to eat or even sleep, it won’t happen. If that is the case for my absolute basic necessities, you better believe it is the same for exercise. When I plan out my day, I make room for exercise. If I ever find myself thinking, ‘Oh, I’ll find space for a workout sometime throughout the day!' I need to get in gear and reexamine my priorities. My world revolves around streamlined simplicity, so that’s how I structure my workouts. If I have some spare time and I can get in a long workout at the gym, I am pleased. But if not, I rely on my home workout routines. I purchased two from Beachbody. One program, T25, is only 25 minutes, so I’ll pop in that DVD on busier days. Having options is key when your day to day schedule varies.

2. Friendship. Before I had kids, I did not always have a lot in common with my friends. But now that I do, almost all of my friends are moms too. The biggest thing that we have in common is that we would like to have more energy than we do. And, nothing is better for energy than a good workout. I’m a bit chatty, so having an exercise buddy is so good for me. It helps us to be accountable. Neither of us would skip going to the gym because we don’t want to leave the other one hanging. And when we get there, we are inspired to push further to help each other achieve our goals. Plus, it is nice to have someone to spot me while I’m lifting the bar.

3. Inspiration. I will admit that I used to be a bit of a skeptic when it comes to inspirational language and imagery. That is, until I figured out how well it works for me. A couple of months ago, I latched onto a phrase I saw on Pinterest: “Be stronger than your excuses.” It can be so easy to find a reason skip a workout, but when I decide to make it a priority, I can’t let the excuses control my actions. Find what will motivate you. Maybe it’s a picture of yourself from when you were in better shape, maybe it’s a song that gets you pumped up – know what works for you and keep it close by for the days when you need that extra boost.

4. Accountability. Holding myself accountable is on be of the most important aspects if I want to stick to a workout regimen. Some people find that saying their fitness goals out loud, or telling others will help keep stay accountable. For me, I like to log workouts in my FitBook. It helps me stay on track, and is also great to reflect back on. Seeing how far I’ve come is great motivation to keep pushing forward. It’s also easier when I see my workouts on paper. Maybe it’s the mom in me, but having a hard copy of my workouts recorded makes me feel more accomplished and prepared.

I look at fitness as a lifetime activity. As such, I don’t worry about making a lot of progress in a short period of time. I remember that health is just as much about the journey as the destination. That helps me to stay motivated, no matter how things are going for me."

Hope you enjoyed this special guest post! Please give Emily some feedback in the comments section, if you don't mind :)

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