After over-indulging during Christmas period, many of us resolve to slim down and tone up in the New Year.
By the end of January however, despite the best of intentions, our gym visits are becoming less and less frequent, and junk food is taking up more and more of our plates! How can we stay motivated to commit to a healthy lifestyle? Yes, a lifestyle.
A resolution to lose fat that only lasts a couple of months is no good.
Even if you do shift the weight, without making a permanent change to your way of life you'll only find the fat creeping back on again.
Here are five tips to help you stay motivated through the February slump, so you can continue changing your life for the better.
1.
Write down your reasons.
Did you ever put pen to paper and list why you want to exercise more and eat healthier? When struggling through a particularly demanding work-out, or finding it tough to resist another slice of cake, it can be difficult to remember what promoted you to join the gym in the first place.
By writing down your reasons you've always got something to remind you, and keep you moving forward.
2.
Don't rely on the scale.
Your body goes through a lot of changes when you begin a new exercise program and diet, and weight loss often slows down after a few weeks, which can be disheartening.
It's important though not to rate your success by the numbers on the scale.
Losing fat is more than just dropping the pounds, it's about body re-composition.
A good exercise and nutrition regime should see you building muscle too; some of those pounds of fat will be replaced.
It's better to track your progress by what you see in the mirror, so...
3.
Take a picture.
It's difficult to see the changes in your body composition when you look at yourself every day and it can often feel like you're not making any progress.
Take regular photos of yourself in the same pose (every 4 weeks) so you can look back and see how far you've come.
4.
Find a friend.
Exercise can be a lonely business.
Having the support of a training partner, especially one who is at about the same stage as you, can be excellent encouragement, providing company and accountability.
5.
Don't do everything at once.
Whilst at first it might seem like a good idea to jump right in and turn your whole life around in one fell swoop, big changes are more difficult to stick to.
It's much easier to make small and gradual adjustments.
Start cutting down on alcohol this week, replace your chocolate-based snacks for fruit next week, etc.
You'll find it easier to keep the motivation to continue your new lifestyle when all the changes you make don't hit you at once.
Remember, success takes consistency and time.
Stick with it!
By the end of January however, despite the best of intentions, our gym visits are becoming less and less frequent, and junk food is taking up more and more of our plates! How can we stay motivated to commit to a healthy lifestyle? Yes, a lifestyle.
A resolution to lose fat that only lasts a couple of months is no good.
Even if you do shift the weight, without making a permanent change to your way of life you'll only find the fat creeping back on again.
Here are five tips to help you stay motivated through the February slump, so you can continue changing your life for the better.
1.
Write down your reasons.
Did you ever put pen to paper and list why you want to exercise more and eat healthier? When struggling through a particularly demanding work-out, or finding it tough to resist another slice of cake, it can be difficult to remember what promoted you to join the gym in the first place.
By writing down your reasons you've always got something to remind you, and keep you moving forward.
2.
Don't rely on the scale.
Your body goes through a lot of changes when you begin a new exercise program and diet, and weight loss often slows down after a few weeks, which can be disheartening.
It's important though not to rate your success by the numbers on the scale.
Losing fat is more than just dropping the pounds, it's about body re-composition.
A good exercise and nutrition regime should see you building muscle too; some of those pounds of fat will be replaced.
It's better to track your progress by what you see in the mirror, so...
3.
Take a picture.
It's difficult to see the changes in your body composition when you look at yourself every day and it can often feel like you're not making any progress.
Take regular photos of yourself in the same pose (every 4 weeks) so you can look back and see how far you've come.
4.
Find a friend.
Exercise can be a lonely business.
Having the support of a training partner, especially one who is at about the same stage as you, can be excellent encouragement, providing company and accountability.
5.
Don't do everything at once.
Whilst at first it might seem like a good idea to jump right in and turn your whole life around in one fell swoop, big changes are more difficult to stick to.
It's much easier to make small and gradual adjustments.
Start cutting down on alcohol this week, replace your chocolate-based snacks for fruit next week, etc.
You'll find it easier to keep the motivation to continue your new lifestyle when all the changes you make don't hit you at once.
Remember, success takes consistency and time.
Stick with it!
Source...