The evenings are getting longer which makes it more appealing to go out and get some exercise. We have teamed up with Fitness Trainer Dee Murphy, to give you some tips on fitness, nutrition, exercise and how to get the motivation to change your lifestyle to a fitter one.
Dee’s Tips to keep yourself motivated
Ok so you paid your gym membership in full in January and promised yourself to the moon and back that this was it, no messing around – you would be making the gym part of your everyday lifestyle. But… fast forward a month or two and your interest has waned a bit, you’re barely getting to the gym and you’ve actually began to resent it a bit. Yep your motivation seems to have gone on vacation!
What do you do?
This happens to EVERYONE from time to time, you are normal! There are days you will want to run to the gym as you are that excited to get your sweat on and there will be days you want to run away from it because you couldn’t be bothered!
Congratulations! – you are a human being! We are all guilty of feeling like this at times! Below are some tips that I find personally work for me. I hope they help.
Plan your workout
Know exactly what you are going to do when you walk in the doors to that gym. If you wander in aimlessly with no idea what muscles you are going to work or what you want to achieve you may as well walk back out. Like preparing your food, program prep is equally important. The gym can be a daunting place for any beginner so if you are unsure where to start, any gym instructor or personal trainer working there will be happy to help.
Goal setting
What is it you want to achieve? Why is it important to you to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle? Set yourself a personal goal. This can be anything – running a 5k, beating a previous 1RM (one rep max ) in your squat, losing 5kg, fitting in to that little black dress that’s been hanging in the wardrobe but has become a bit too snug, a family event etc.- Let this be your focus.
Stand back and actually LOOK at your progress
You’ve religiously stuck to your healthy eating and exercise plan but this doesn’t reflect on the scales and you become disheartened.
Do not let the scales define you and be your only measurement of progress. Let clothes and measurements do the talking but not only that, how you physically feel is also a measurement of progress. Six months ago you may have been lethargic, moody and feeling less confident whereas now you have bags of energy and are feeling happier and confident.
Another big one is progress pictures – Take them, keep them and look at them whenever you get in to that mind-set and remind yourself how far you have come.
Variety is the spice of life!
Don’t be afraid to mix things up. Monotony isn’t good for the soul so why let your workout become repetitive. Try a new exercise in the gym, go to a crossfit class, try a boxing class – Step out of your comfort zone.
Be organised
You’ve planned to go to the gym before work in the morning but the alarm goes off, you think ‘ What will I wear? What will I eat? – ah I’ll just go tomorrow’. You press the snooze button and toss and turn for the next hour in bed and before you know it, it’s time to get up anyway! Organise yourself the night before. Have the gym gear ready to go and breakfast prepared. You will get the day off to a positive start and your mood will automatically be enhanced!
Get a gym buddy!
A friend, your partner, a co worker etc! This is an excellent way for keeping you both accountable! But not only that, it’s someone who understands the lifestyle you want to live and you can offer each other support and mutual motivation. So in other words when you feel like slacking, they can give you the kick you need to get back on track and vice versa!
Find out more about Dee here – https://deemurphyfitness.com/