This Is How to Get Motivated to Lose Weight and Exercise
Around half of all adult Americans try to lose weight every year. If you’ve tried and failed to drop a few pounds, how can you get motivated to try again and be successful?
Trying to lose weight isn’t easy. Getting back on the horse after failing to meet your goals just adds another layer of frustration to the process.
If you’re looking for an extra dose of inspiration, we’ve got it. Our guide on how to get motivated to lose weight and exercise will help you find the path to success.
Find Your “Why”
Why do you want to lose weight? Figuring out your “why” might be the biggest key to unlocking your potential.
You need a really good reason to help you push through any setbacks and deal with altering your normal routine. Knowing why you want to lose weight gives you the strength to say “no” to a plate of tempting sweets or get to the gym on a rainy day.
Sit down and truly ponder your main reason for trying to lose weight. Write it down with bright pens on a big piece of paper, put it in a place where you look often, and use that as your guiding light.
Start Small
Got a lot of weight to lose? Dread spending five days in the gym but feel that you have to do it?
Going all out all at once is a surefire way to fizzle out fast. You’ll start strong but soon get worn out with the big demands you place on yourself.
Instead, start with smaller goals. Break your journey down into multiple achievable steps and you’ll find the motivation to keep making it to the next one.
For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds, first make it to five. If you want to do cardio two days a week and weights another two days, start with just one day of each and work your way up.
Do What You Like
Do you think that your journey to a lighter, fitter, and healthier you is through a dark forest of deprivation? You’ll have to survive on water and rice cakes while jogging endless miles on the treadmill?
That doesn’t have to be the case. Don’t dread your new routine; find ways to make it enjoyable.
Don’t like the elliptical machine at the gym? Instead, sign up for a cardio dance class.
Not looking forward to low calorie, low fat dishes? Now’s the perfect time to experiment with spices.
The important thing is to not make the actions you’re taking to lose weight and exercise a slog. Find ways to make them fun and exciting and you’ll keep up your new healthy habits.
Be Competitive
Having a little friendly competition can give you the motivation you need to stay on track. The desire to do better than others can push you to perform.
Invite a friend to your workout sessions. Challenge each other to do more reps or go further than the other one.
Pick out someone you admire in your workout class. Keep an eye on them and make it your goal to outperform them.
The best competitor you can come across is yourself. Try to beat your own goals the next time you head back to the gym.
Remember to keep it friendly. Don’t beat yourself up or start fights with your friends over this simple yet effective motivational technique.
Manage Expectations
You’re hitting the gym three times a week and cooking up a big batch of healthy meals. Yet the needle hasn’t budged, your pants don’t feel looser, and you don’t feel as great as you should.
Around this time you start to feel like all your hard work was for nothing. That’s not the case at all, you just need to manage your expectations.
Changes don’t come around all at once. It takes time for your body to adjust to your new lifestyle, and everyone’s body is different.
For example, if you are starting keto, you won’t go into ketosis right away. If you’re lifting weights consistently, you might not see the gains you’re looking for in a few weeks.
Stick with your new routine for at least three months. If you’re still not seeing any changes, it might be time to talk to a doctor or try out a new routine.
Write it Down
Have you ever seen a photo of yourself from a few years ago and you can’t help but notice how much you’ve changed? The changes happen slowly and little by little so you don’t notice it over the years.
Weight loss or meeting other health goals can be the same way. Writing in a journal can help you realize just how far you’ve come.
Keep a weight loss diary and write down how much you’ve exercised, how you felt, and any goals that you’ve met. Writing can help you deal with any frustration or setbacks, too.
At the end of your journey, you can see how far you’ve come. Writing down your accomplishments can give you the motivation to meet any other goal you set your mind to.
Counter Excuses
You’re going to make excuses to snag a little more sleep instead of going to the gym or for eating a second slice of pie. You’ve got to expect them and be ready to counter any arguments you’ll have with yourself.
For example, if you want to eat fast food, remind yourself how it would undo your hard work following your diet during the week. If you want to skip a gym session, tell yourself that your arms look really great in a tank top from lifting weights and you need to keep it up.
Know How to Get Motivated to Lose Weight and Exercise
It’s not easy to stay on the right track. Changing your old habits for better ones and making small changes that don’t lead to instant gratification can be demotivating.
Our guide showed you how to get motivated to lose weight and exercise in order to meet all of your health and fitness goals. Check out our other articles under our get healthy category and keep going!