Are you beginning to lose your motivation to eat healthy and hit the gym? The reality is that many people make drastic changes quickly, and soon burn out and forget their goals altogether.
“Many people make ambitious wellness goals after the New Year, the problem is they soon lose interest,” Caroline Kahnk, wellness coordinator, said. “Incorporating these tips in your diet and exercise routine can make your healthy lifestyle changes more sustainable.”
To avoid losing your motivation a few weeks in, here are some key steps on how to follow through and be successful—for the long-run!
Exercise
- Prioritize which goals are most important to you. Are you training for a 5k? Do you want to exercise a certain number of times per week? Once you set a few goals that are most important, you can set one goal that would be nice to have but isn’t essential.
- When testing out new exercises, keep track of ones that you enjoyed and ones that you didn’t. What did or didn’t you like? Finding a routine that you enjoy is key to sticking with it.
- Exercising with a friend or partner is a great way to hold each other accountable and have more fun! If you have plans to exercise with someone, you are more likely to follow through.
- Set specific times each week that you exercise and soon it will become a habit. Another option is exercising with coworkers over lunch so you can schedule it like any other meeting on your calendar.
Healthy eating
- As you continue on your health and fitness journey, pay attention to serving sizes. Overeating is easy to do, especially with foods like nuts, oils and salad dressings. Although they are healthy, eating more than the suggested serving size of these items is an easy way to overload your daily fat (and calorie) intake.
- Eating more vegetables can feel bland and boring. Explore your spice drawer to make vegetables more interesting and flavorful.
- Drinking water is not only essential to staying hydrated, but it will help keep your stomach full and prevent you from reaching for unhealthy snacks throughout the day. Try water flavor enhancers or adding fresh fruit to your water bottle if you find yourself getting bored with plain water.
- Lastly, keeping a food diary can be a great tool to identify areas for improvement. If you have a smartphone, there are apps you can use to track your food and water intake easily.
Aspiring to make healthier choices throughout 2018 is a great start with your health and fitness journey, but using some of these tips and tricks can help you stay on track for the long-haul. Remember to start small, create a plan and reward yourself to stay motivated!
