Staying Motivated

Staying motivated is one of the toughest things when you embark on a journey to live a healthy lifestyle.  Most people start off with a good plan.  They’re in the right frame of mind, have lots of energy, and goals to achieve.  Think about a common New Year’s resolution for many people: Lose weight.  They buy a gym membership and everything goes well for the first week or two.  Then what happens?

Most of us tend to lose sight of the end goal and our workouts become few and far between.  We start to make excuses why we can’t make it to the gym or why we don’t feel like cooking tonight.  Believe me – it happens to the best of us.  Staying motivated is a constant struggle, but I’m going to give you some ideas to help you continue on the right path towards healthy living.

One thing you can do is to incorporate variety into your exercise and meals.  One of the main reasons why people lose motivation is they get bored eating the same meals constantly and doing the same few exercises.  Look online for new and healthy recipes.  I recommend Skinnytaste.  This site offers a great variety of healthy food and easy to follow recipes.  Now that the weather is getting nicer outside, your exercise possibilities are endless.  Even mowing the lawn or washing your car can give you a good workout!

Another idea for staying motivated is to always keep your end goals in mind.  Think of why you began this journey in the first place.  If it helps you, write your goals down and put them somewhere (or in a couple places) where you will see them.  For example, hang up a picture of yourself, possibly when you weighed less.  Use this picture as the motivating factor of where you’ve been before and where you’d like to get to again.  Hey, even put a picture on the fridge if that helps deter you from unnecessary snacking.  Also, try posting motivation quotes around your house or at work.  Sometimes all it takes is a couple words or simple phrases to push you back in the right direction.

For other great ideas, watch this short video for 10 Ways to Motivate Yourself.    

Take a look at these weight loss success stories for some additional inspiration!


Reference:

http://www.abreufitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/11.jpg

Working with a Personal Trainer

Working out with a personal trainer can be a great experience.  A personal trainer can motivate you to reach your fitness goals and will develop a plan specific to your fitness level.  It doesn’t matter if you already know how to use all the machines at the gym or have never set foot in a gym.  A trainer will assess your starting fitness level and go from there.  If you’re already a fitness guru, a trainer can provide different exercises that you may not have thought of.  It’s important to change your exercise routines periodically so that your body doesn’t get used to it.  If this happens, you won’t get the results you want.

Personal trainers can not only help you with cardio and strength training, but many of them can also help guide you with your diet.  After all, a healthy diet goes hand in hand with exercise.  You might be doing everything right at the gym, but if you eat unhealthy foods, you may just be wasting your time and money.

Hiring a personal trainer isn’t cheap.  However, you might only need a couple sessions to get a plan in place.   Or, maybe you can get a couple friends together and split the cost.  Some trainers will do small group sessions and this can make it more affordable.

So, let’s say you decide that you’d like to start working out with a personal trainer.  What steps do you need to take?  Your local gym probably has trainers that you can work with.  If you don’t belong to a gym, some personal trainers will actually come to your house for personal training sessions – how convenient!

Watch this short video to see if you should hire a personal trainer.

This interactive quiz will also help you decide if you need a personal trainer.  

Reference:

recreation.ncsu.edu

Starting an Exercise Program

Starting an exercise program can be intimidating.  You often wonder – where do I start?  What types of exercises should I do?  When should I start? Well, you definitely want to start exercising sooner than later.  The benefits of exercising just 30 minutes a day can do wonders for your overall health.

The main thing to remember is to start slowly.  You don’t have to be a body builder or a fitness buff to start an exercise regimen.   Also, it doesn’t matter what exercises you do – any type of movement is good for your mind, body and soul.  It is a proven fact that exercise releases endorphins in the brain that can improve your mood. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that you definitely want to incorporate both cardio exercises (i.e. treadmill, elliptical, bike) and strength training (i.e. various machines at the gym, free weights, push-ups).   Strength training helps build muscle (don’t think huge bulky muscles!), which burns fat and therefore you become more fit.  Cardio exercises elevate your heart rate, which not only helps you maintain a healthy heart, but also can lead to weight loss.  Use this Target Heart Rate Calculator to see what range you should keep your heart rate between when exercising to get the most out of your workout.

Also, why not ask a friend or family member to join you?  You can keep each other on track and encourage one another to keep going.  It’s a win-win! 

Here are 35 easy ways to incorporate exercise into your life.  You may be surprised to see that some of your everyday activities are actually helping you improve your fitness.

This YouTube video shares some tips for starting a workout program.  

Before you know it, you will be looking great and feeling healthy!

Reference:

karmajello.com