24 Jun 10 motivational tips for reaching your health and fitness goals
Change isn’t easy. Staying in a constant routine is what is naturally comfortable for us, because our bodies and minds don’t have to expend extra energy to involve new habits. Picture this: Every day after getting the kids off to school, you head in to work and stop by your favorite coffee shop to grab a latte and a pastry. Then, for lunch, you go to the deli on the corner and order your ‘usual’, and finally, at the end of the day you kick back and enjoy your favorite series on television before heading to bed. Although you know pastries aren’t healthy, and you could save a lot of money by bringing your lunch to work with you, this has been your routine for years, and you find it difficult to break out of those walls and try new things.
Compare this to Newton’s law of inertia, which says that “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force”. What this means, is that there is a natural tendency for objects, and in this case people, to continue doing what they are doing and resist a change in their state of motion, until something comes along and makes that change a reality. Applying this to the scenario of changing your mind and body for your health, that “something” could be a doctor’s appointment, a health incident, a goal of fitting into your high school jeans, a new love interest, a divorce, or having children… you name it. When it becomes a reality that you must implement a new diet or training routine, you must first prepare yourself for the journey ahead of you. Your body is capable of achieving things far greater than you give it credit for, and that said, it is your mind that you must condition to achieve the lifestyle change you desire. This may be easier said than done, and something that many people do not involve in their plans and preparation for their fitness or health journey.
Preparing your mind ahead of time is a crucial step in both seeing and maintaining your goals. Being prepared to consistently find ways to remind yourself of why you made the decision to make a change in your lifestyle, freeing yourself of the attachment to your current routine and visualizing results before they occur are all great ways to increase your chances of sticking to your new routine. But when it comes to dialing in the conditioning of your mind ahead of time, we’ve compiled a list of 10 simple steps that will ensure your commitment so you can focus more energy in the long run on achieving your goals and prospering.
10 Steps to Achieve Your Goals By Conditioning Your Mind:
- Stay consistent – It takes 6 weeks for something to become a routine in your life. Keep it up and it WILL get easier.
- Visualize your external goals – How will I look when I reach my goals? Will this into existence.
- Visualize your internal goals – How will I feel when I reach my goals? What steps can you take to reach them?
- Stop making excuses and talking down to yourself – Lift yourself up and believe in yourself. Create a healthy and safe space within your mind and tell yourself why you can do this.
- Set up realistic expectations – Plan for a healthy timeline for your goals, plan for a healthy weight, and set up a realistic diet and exercise regime.
- Plan ahead – Plan your diet and workout routines ahead of time. Laying out your gym clothes the night before and segmenting your meals so they are ready to grab and go will also keep you committed to sticking to your routine.
- Get support- Find a workout buddy or a diet buddy who is understanding of your journey.
- Treat your body with respect – Don’t put harmful substances into your body. Eat healthy, give yourself support and listen to your body.
- Be Patient – Results do not happen immediately. It takes a lot of trial and error to find out what works for your unique body. Stay positive and celebrate the small victories!
- Have Fun – Look at this as a way to recreate yourself. Your body is your canvas and you can paint it however you want. Find ways to mix it up and reward yourself along the way, because if you aren’t having fun, you aren’t going to see the results you desire!