How to Stay Motivated

Featured Article, Fitness, Motivation
on February 26, 2013
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Many people don’t need advice on how to stay motivated—at least at the beginning. Enthusiasm for and commitment to health and fitness tends to come in waves. It’s common for people to do really well for a few weeks, and then have a weak moment or two and spend a few weeks trying to get back on track again. So how do you stay motivated and stick to those healthy behaviors when you’re on a roll?  By making them a habit! The following “Success Reminders” from PUSH will help you create healthy habits not only in health and fitness but in any area of your life!

1. Live to be better. When you realize you can always be better and there’s always room for improvement—whether you’re talking fitness, career, relationships or just life in general—that’s when you’ve figured out success! We are striving for progress, not perfection. It’s a journey! Continually making a conscious effort to be the best version of yourself will always keep you on the right track.

2. Have regularly scheduled checkups every 3 months. No, I’m not talking about going to the doctor (although that’s important, too). What I’m talking about is really checking in with yourself. Mark it on your calendar, or set a reminder in your phone every 3 months to reassess what you’re doing and how your life is going. Are you happy with your fitness level and how you feel about yourself? Are you pleased with what you’re doing in life, your relationships or your career? What are you doing a good job of and what could you be doing a little better? Just check in with yourself to make sure you’re staying the right course.

3. Keep learning. The more you educate yourself on topics related to whatever it is you want to achieve, the more likely you are to stay motivated and achieve those things. Read books, listen to motivational audio programs, find ways to learn more about creating better habits. The more you read and listen, and the more you repeat positive behaviors, the more it sticks. Repetition creates long-term memory grooves in your brain. Keep repeating those positive acts!

4. Create accountability. Find someone, or a team of people, to help support you in your positive changes. Identifying those key people to help you stay accountable makes all the difference. Find a trainer, coach, or mentor to guide you and cheer you on as you pursue whatever it is you want to achieve. While we might break a promise to ourselves, we’re much less likely to break a promise we’ve made to someone else. The more accountability you have the better!

5. Never give up! No matter what life throws at you (and it will throw things at you from time to time!), never quit!  Everyone has ups and downs. But the common factor with people who are successful in achieving their fitness and life goals is that they get back up every single time. You can do this! Stay the course!