One of my pet peeves is when I hear someone say "I've lost my motivation."
I get it, I've been there and motivation is hard to come by, especially when we already lead busy, hectic lives. Motivation may get you through the first couple of days or weeks, maybe even months, but what happens when you stop feeling motivated and your exercise and healthy eating feels more like work, than an achievable lifestyle?
Especially if you are focusing on pounds lost and you hit a plateau (which by the way, is going to happen whether you like it or not), it becomes incredibly difficult to keep motivated and feel like you are making any progress.
This is when I feel like motivation is a word invented by die-hard fitness fanatics, that make us regular folk feel like failures when that "get up and go" is no longer in us. I suggest you substitute the word motivation for commitment.
The dictionary definition of commitment is "a willingness to give your time and energy to something that you believe in, or a promise or firm decision to do something." If you think about it in terms of a marriage, a commitment would mean that we promise to stick it out through the good and the bad. Motivation is what is there when things are going well, but when things get tough, it wanes. This is exactly when commitment is what we should be focusing on.
There are many days I don't feel motivated to get to the gym, or to prepare something healthy to eat, but those are the days that I remember the commitment I made to change my life and I get through it (not perfectly, but there is always the next moment, day, week, or month to work on it).
Don't expect yourself to be perfect, but just know that when you do make mistakes, you have the ability to brush yourself off and get back to it. There is no such thing as a perfect journey to change your life, but if you accept the peaks and valleys and have a plan in place to get through it, it's achievable.
I love to plan - I feel like it sets me up for success, and allows me to stay committed to my lifestyle.
I'm a pretty busy person and if I was to just wing it all the time, it would be too easy to give in to cravings and I'd soon find myself swinging by the closest fast food joint because hunger was gnawing at my gut. One thing I've found invaluable is pre-cooked and pre-portioned healthy options.
My freezer is full of turkey and chicken, pre-weighed and ready for me to grab and go, as well as lots of different homemade protein bars I can throw in a lunch bag, which will thaw by the time I need to eat them. Our fridge is always stocked with lots of fresh vegetables, and I don't keep any of my trigger foods at home. If I can't trust myself to have only a piece or two of chocolate, I just won't keep it around. You don't have to spend massive amounts of time on prep work and planning in order to be successful, but if you commit to setting aside a bit of time each week for it, you'll be amazed at how much easier it is to stay on track.
My last bit of advice for keeping with a commitment is to eat regularly.
Skipping meals sets your blood sugar levels out of whack and leads to cravings, overeating, and a multitude of other unhealthy side-effects.
It almost sounds counteractive to losing weight, but I eat between every two to three hours, starting from within a half an hour after waking up, to right before I go to sleep. I eat in small portions, but I make sure to fuel my body often.
It's been rare since the change in my lifestyle, that I've felt hungry enough to make poor choices, and because I work out daily, I need to make sure I'm getting enough food to fuel my workouts.
You won't always be motivated to do well and to make great choices, but commit to the lifestyle change, plan ahead, and slowly this way of life will become the new normal.
