5 Ways to Stay Motivated to Your Health Goals
October 24, 2018Just about everyone wants to be healthy and stay committed to their health goals. Let’s be honest though: we all struggle with motivation from time to time. The struggle is real! Some of us struggle a lot more than others, but regardless of what level of health we’re at, we all need ways to keep our heads in the game from time to time. Below are 5 ways that may help you stay motivated when you don’t feel like making healthy decisions.
1.Write down your goals
Legitimate, scientific studies have been conducted which show the power of writing down your goals. If you write down your goals, you’re more likely to achieve what you want. There is a lot of power in writing down your desires in life. Some say that written word is essentially crystallized thought. When thought is crystallized, it’s a lot easier for us to see what we want. Take out a notebook and write down all your various health goals. Make them as specific as possible and feel free to put a due date next to each goal; a dream without a deadline is merely a fantasy.
2.Look at images of yourself at your worst and at your best
This piece of advice seems a little weird and might be a bit awkward at first. Albeit a bit awkward, this is one of the best ways to keep yourself motivated. The reason why many people don’t make the necessary changes in life to reach the next level is because the price of changing is greater than the price of staying the same. A lot of people would rather stay the same because it’s easier and they adapt to becoming content with their current results.
By printing off pictures of yourself when you’re at your worst and best level of health, you’ll be using imagery in your favor to illustrate the price of changing. You’ll be able to compare and contrast your worst with your best. For example, if you print off a picture of yourself when you were at your heaviest, and set it next to a picture of when you were lighter and much healthier, it’s easier to develop a desire to change. The price of changing then becomes less than the price of staying the same.
Feel free to print off multiple pictures. Keep a set of pictures at work, school, home, or wherever you spend most of your day. If you’re feeling very ambitious, feel free to keep a set of pictures in your pocket, or saved as the background image in your phone, so that you can look at yourself at any given moment.
3.Print off pictures of your dreams
The power of visualization never ceases to amaze, especially in the game of health. Nothing fuels work ethic greater than the power of our dreams. We can daydream about our long-term goals all we want, but nothing is more inspirational than having them in front of us.
It might be your dream to own a BMW one day, but it becomes a tad more real when you actually go to the car dealership and test drive one. This same concept also applies to our health. If you want sexy six pack abs, print off a picture of someone with six pack abs and put it on your wall. If you want to be able to run your first marathon, print off a picture of someone running a marathon and put it on your wall. If you want to just be generally healthy and happy, print off a picture of someone that embodies health and happiness and put it on your wall!
4.Find an accountability partner
While it’s true that strong, internal motivation comes from within, seldom do we achieve our health goals completely on our own. Most of the time, we need to rely on other people to help bring out the best in us. We’re all human and because of that, we’re susceptible to our emotions, which can lead us to unhealthy choices.
By having an accountability partner, we’re less likely to make some of those bad decisions. An accountability partner can be a friend, family member, significant other, coworker, classmate, personal trainer, coach, or just about anyone else that you trust. Many people use their accountability buddies as someone to go to the gym with. While this is one great option for accountability, it isn’t the only one.
There are many other creative ways to take your accountability to new heights. It could be as simple as having them text you once a week about your diet. You could also meet up with a coworker on your breaks and go for a walk. Another idea might be donating money to your friend’s favorite charity if you don’t hit your goal for a particular month. The ideas for accountability are endless! Feel free to get creative and have fun with it!
5.Schedule time for your health
Last but not least, put your health-related activites into your schedule! Whether you schedule activities in your phone, laptop, tablet, or physical planner, make some room in your weekly routine for your health. Many times we don’t commit to our health because we haven’t incorporated it in our daily routine. Even if some of our healthy activities don’t consume a significant amount of time, the act of physically injecting it in our planner will make us more self-aware of it. If you schedule your activity, you’re more likely to do it. If you do it, you’re more likely to do it consistently. If you do it consistently, it’s only a matter of time until you reach your goals.
Everyone has their own method to motivation. Some of those tips may be more effective to some people than others. Some will work for you and some may not work for you; however, if you utilize just one or two of the techniques above, and truly implement them, it may just be the inspiration you need to level up.
