Need fitness motivation? 6 tips to get and stay on track

We all stray from out fitness routines from time to time. If you’re looking for some fitness motivation, let me help you get into a fit-for-life frame of mind with my positive approach to living a healthy active lifestyle!

I know that many people are motivated when they a have a big event or vacation coming up, but I also know that many people lose that initial boost of what I call event based motivation very quickly. Some people will admit to abandoning their healthy eating and exercise plan before they even get started.

Today I want to share with you some motivational tricks to help you to get focused and start working towards your personal body goals. Regardless of what season we’re in, I believe your body deserves to be well taken care of all year round! Taking the mental approach of getting fit for a lifetime is much better than just getting fit for a few weeks or a special event.

Don’t let yourself get to your special day or summer vacation and realize that you said “I’ll start my fitness plan tomorrow” one too many times. Instead, try to change your mindset and understand that today is a perfect day to get started!

3 fitness motivation tips to get started

No tomorrow

There is no time like today to get started! Small changes add up over time and can often lead to big changes in lifestyle. So if you’re thinking about making some changes make one right now—write it down and implement immediately!

Say the words ‘I can’ and ‘I will’ often

The word ‘I can’t’ will often translate directly into ‘I didn’t,’ so try to replace your vocabulary with positively charged words. Set a positive intention for each day and believe that you can do it. A positive approach often leads to positive results.

Love who you are

Try not to be negative about yourself. Stop looking in the mirror and thinking ‘I need to change.’ Even if your goal is to lose a lot of weight, it doesn’t mean you should look at your self in a negative light. The fact that you realize you need to take care of yourself is a step in the right direction.

When we tell ourselves we’re not good enough, it can spark feelings of sadness and can negatively effect our energy levels. Let’s all try to use more positive statements!

Affirmations like, ‘I’m ready to improve,’ or ‘I’m going to evolve into the best version of myself I can be’ will make it easier to keep your spirits up and motivation high.

Once you’ve mastered getting into positive frame of mind, you’ll need to find something to help keep you motivated long term. Fitness and nutrition is not just a quick fix. Only a long-term lifestyle change plan will keep your body positively evolving.

The reason yo-yo diets and extreme fitness plans don’t work is because they tend to have a start point and an end point. Once you stop eating well and exercising, your body negatively reacts and goes back to square one.

3 fitness motivation tips for long- term motivation

Find an active hobby

If you find a hobby that’s active such as doing long walks, marathons or even committing to learning something new, you’ll always have something to strive towards. Once you get involved in a hobby, especially when it involves being part of a group, it’s much easier to stay motivated and accountable to your long-term goals.

Make it a family affair

Get your family and close friends on board with your healthy, active lifestyle plan. If you all commit to eating well and getting active, it can help create strong bonds and fun times. If you feel like you want to quit, chances are, at least one family member will convince you to keep going.

Plan rewards

Put a reward system in place so that you can continually motivate yourself and others with incentives. It could be a day trip out every few moths or a shopping trip to buy a new outfit. Try to pick a reward that gets you excited, and one that you know you can afford. Hopefully your reward will inspire you to keep going on the tough days.

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Motivation is a personal thing and what motivates one person may not motivate another. Try to find a few motivational tricks that work for you. I try to stay away from being motivated purely by how I look; but I do understand that most people do want to look good and it can be a good motivation booster. Just understand that external changes take time. If you combine your “how I look” with “how I feel,” it’s a great way to ensure you stay positive—because with most healthy, active lifestyle plans, you start to feel better long before you see visible changes. If your feel that your healthy, active plan is making you feel more confident and awake it may inspire you to keep going!

Find ways to be positive and stay motivated. The only way you will fail on your plan is to quit, so do whatever it takes to keep yourself on track and feeling great!

Share your favorite motivational and positive tips with me in the comments section.

 Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife