FP; How I stay motivated

Welcome back my lovely people, today I will be discussing all things motivation aka how I manage to drag myself to the gym & work out!…its tough!

I think most people seek some form of motivation… especially in January as everyone wants to get fit, loose a bit of weight or tone up. Its very easy in the days running up to the New Year to make all these promises to yourself, that you will get fit, you will loose weight and as if by magic on New Years Day you will stop eating every single thing that’s bad for you forever!! Actually sticking to these goals however and making them a reality is a lot harder than just saying it or writing it… you actually have to do it.

Since New Year’s I have been quite strict on myself in terms of eating and exercising, because I am super determined this year to get my body how I want it. Just a pre warning – I do actually have really good willpower… most of the time if I set myself something to achieve, I will do it because I know I can… eventually! But getting fit has always been one that has eluded me… until now!

Tips:

Schedule: For me it really helps to have a schedule so I know what days I’m going to be working out, which will be harder than others and which day/s I get to rest (my fave days). I find this gives me reassurance that I’m not going to be working out really hard everyday and so I know I have something to look forward too, although at the moment I am quite enjoying working out! Once you make going to the gym or doing a home work out part of your daily routine, you will get used to it and you’ll start to schedule it in automatically.

Doing it: I find the hardest part about working out the bit before when you’re debating whether to actually do it or not! Just try and ignore that feeling if possible, and tell yourself it will be worth it. I do love walking out of the gym knowing that I’ve had a great session, so I also try and remember that feeling as I’m getting into my gym gear! Its also pretty helpful if you’re working to go to the gym/workout straight after work so you don’t have a period where you lull yourself into snuggling on the sofa watching TV – its a lot harder to motivate yourself after that! If you don’t have work or its the weekend I tend to go to the gym in the mornings, so I can get it out the way and get on with my day. The gym is quite nice in the mornings on a weekend… I do love an empty gym!

Plan: Having a workout plan before you go to the gym is always going help you out. You don’t want to be standing around at the gym, wasting time thinking about what to do… you just want to go in and get it done! I tend to do about 20-30 mins cardio and then focus on a body part, eg. abs, thighs and butt, shoulders, back etc, or vice versa. For me it just makes life easier and makes me feel as though I’ve done a proper work out and got done what I needed to! I spend again about 20-30 minutes working out on whatever body part – as I mentioned in my previous post, I mainly watch personal trainers on YouTube for ideas for exercises, its such a cheap and easy way to find inspiration.

Stretch: Don’t think ‘great I’m done’ the second the running machine hits 00:00, you need to stretch! I can’t say much because I am awful at remembering to do this… but by the end of your workout you really need to stretch your muscles. If you don’t you will probably be feeling like I am right now and can barely walk! Its such an easy step, again Google or YouTube some stretches if you want some more effective ones or you want them suited to one body part. Just make sure you schedule in an extra 5 minutes at the end of your workout to stretch and relax your muscles.

FYI – I am 100% not an expert in fitness, healthy eating or life really… these are all just things I do to stay motivated and hopefully get fit!

I hope you enjoyed, let me know if there are any other fitness type subjects you would like me to blog about!

Thanks,

Fran, X

Advertisement