How To Stay Motivated When Life Happens

How would you like a few tips to achieve your BEST body and stay motivated when life happens? Keep reading and I’ll show you how.

I’m a schedule person and a creature of habit.  I like to have a schedule and I try to stick to it as much as possible.  For example, I’m a morning workout person.  If I don’t get my workout done first thing in the morning, there’s a high probability it’s not going to happen once my day starts getting away from me.  That being said, we can all agree that life isn’t always going to go the way we think it’s supposed to.  So what to do about it then?  Throw my fitness out the window?  Um, no.  Instead I use different tips and tricks to stay motivated and on track, and these are what I plan on sharing with you!

Yesterday was a perfect example.  I had an early morning appointment and my gym didn’t open in time to get in and get a workout done beforehand. I had a ton of other errands to do and my day ended up getting away from me.  I kept repeating to myself that I was going to get to the gym on my way home after all my errands that afternoon.  I knew I was just trying to convince myself it was going to happen, but this convincing was probably just a line of bull I was feeding myself.  Heck, I still had a load of work to do when I got home and I always hate to keep people waiting for replies to their questions about nutrition, fitness and health.  I was exhausted and just wanted to cuddle by the fire with my two sweet doggies next to me.

Are you seeing the excuses yet that are piling up that would make it easy for me to skip my workout?  Hey, I get it, it’s so easy to justify and make excuses, but at the core, an excuse is still an excuse.

So, what did I do?  I worked out.  And you know what?  I’m glad I did.  I felt so much more energetic and refreshed and I was able to tackle the rest of what needed to be done.

Now it’s time to be honest and own it.  What are the excuses that you use to justify to yourself for not exercising when you don’t feel like it?  Once you acknowledge your excuses, you can use motivation and the power of positive thinking to get yourself moving and getting it done, just like you know to do!

I’m sure you’re asking, but how do I stay motivated?

Here’s a few tips to get you started:

1. YOU are worth it!

This is the most important tip I can possibly give you.  I know more women and mothers who put themselves last after taking care of everyone else.  I just want to tell you that it is OK to take care of yourself, and not only is it ok, it is a must!  Feeling good about yourself trickles down to your entire family so giving yourself even an hour a day, even if it isn’t when you planned it, is not only a gift to yourself, but to your family as well.  Don’t let yourself get caught up in the cycle of excuses that lands you in a hole that you can’t get out of.  After all, you’ll never “find” the time, so go make it!

2.  Discover and admit your excuses!

Don’t let the power of excuses overcome you.  Once you know what your excuses are, take control of them and don’t let them have power over you anymore.  You always have the ability to change your thinking and your attitude. Keep your thoughts and your attitude in check!  As Charles Swindle says:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.

It will make or break a company, a church, or a home.  The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change the past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is plan on the one thing that we have, and that is is our attitude.”

3. Hold yourself accountable

Keep a fitness and nutrition journal or keep a calendar taped to your bathroom mirror.  Write down the workout you did and whether or not you ate well.  If it’s a rest day, write in “rest day”.  Keep it visible so you can see it and acknowledge it and let your spouse and family members see it as well.

If you have a special event or vacation coming up, keep a count down of days so you know how close it is.  Knowing you only have 10 days to vacation might very well keep you on track when you don’t feel like it!

4. Find an accountability partner

It’s always easier to follow through when someone is depending on you. 

If you don’t have someone to answer to, join our Facebook Accountability Group, find a partner and check in regularly!  Through this group, we’ve helped hundreds of people from all over the world start on and stay accountable to their fitness goals.  It’s been such an amazing blessing to see so many people blossom and meet their goals!

Take my client Lana for example who recently emailed me this:
“Accountability works!”

Yep, her email was short and sweet but it makes my heart happy to see people sticking to their goals.

So keep in mind that life is going to happen and in order for you to stay focused on your fitness journey, it’s important to have a plan in place when life doesn’t go planned on any given day.

What do you do to stay on track when things go array and you are “off” for the day?

ℒℴѵℯ and gratitude,

Julie Lorraine and your The Wellness Perspective™ wellness team

Sharing is caring so share away – I’m sure you know someone who could use a few tips to stay on track when life happens too!