Sometimes, regardless of the fact that you know you should workout, you just somehow can’t convince yourself to. In fact, you have pretty much become a pro at convincing yourself otherwise. You are able to justify exactly why you don’t have to work out and why it’s ok for you to eat that entire bag of M&Ms — until the next am when you regret that decision. Here are 10 ways to motivate yourself to stay on your fit plan.
1. Psych Yourself Up!:
Pretend you’re a boxer, a marathon runner, a professional athlete, be a fast running gazelle — it sounds corny, but it works. Get yourself in that mindset, be the boxer, get yourself pumped up, channel Rocky if you want. See it, feel it, see the environment you would be in. The point is to get your head in the game and out of your “I don’t feel like working out” head.
Pretend you’re a boxer, a marathon runner, a professional athlete, be a fast running gazelle — it sounds corny, but it works. Get yourself in that mindset, be the boxer, get yourself pumped up, channel Rocky if you want. See it, feel it, see the environment you would be in. The point is to get your head in the game and out of your “I don’t feel like working out” head.
2. No-More Piggy Bank:
Every time I REALLY don’t want to work out, but do anyway, or every time I SO BADLY want a brownie but make a cup of tea instead, I put $1 in my No-More Piggy, also called a “Fit Bank.” Once it adds up a bit, I get to spend it anyway I want! Then when I’m strutting around with my new sexy stilettos, I’ll be able to think “my workouts and fit mindset bought this for me…”
Every time I REALLY don’t want to work out, but do anyway, or every time I SO BADLY want a brownie but make a cup of tea instead, I put $1 in my No-More Piggy, also called a “Fit Bank.” Once it adds up a bit, I get to spend it anyway I want! Then when I’m strutting around with my new sexy stilettos, I’ll be able to think “my workouts and fit mindset bought this for me…”
3. Photo at your Heaviest:
If you have an old pic at your heaviest, place it where you will remind yourself to get fit. So, if food is your issue: put it in the kitchen — on your fridge, in your pantry, in your freezer, on your counter — wherever you are going to see it before eating foods that you know you don’t need to eat. If your issue is exercise, put that pic on your closet door to remind you to grab your sneakers, put it next to your alarm clock so that when you go to hit “snooze” you see it and decide to get up and exercise instead.
If you have an old pic at your heaviest, place it where you will remind yourself to get fit. So, if food is your issue: put it in the kitchen — on your fridge, in your pantry, in your freezer, on your counter — wherever you are going to see it before eating foods that you know you don’t need to eat. If your issue is exercise, put that pic on your closet door to remind you to grab your sneakers, put it next to your alarm clock so that when you go to hit “snooze” you see it and decide to get up and exercise instead.
4. Photo at your Thinnest:
Same idea, but reversed. Yes, this is a serious glamour shot, a picture of you flexing your muscles or looking sexy in a bathing suit. Why? Because some people are driven by the positive, and others are driven by the negative. What type are you?
Same idea, but reversed. Yes, this is a serious glamour shot, a picture of you flexing your muscles or looking sexy in a bathing suit. Why? Because some people are driven by the positive, and others are driven by the negative. What type are you?
5. Accountability Chart:
Create a chart, writing down your weekly fit plan, tape it to your refrigerator and every time you workout, check it off!
Create a chart, writing down your weekly fit plan, tape it to your refrigerator and every time you workout, check it off!
6. Tester Jeans:
If I’m on the verge of eating that or not working out when I know I need to, I just try on my tester jeans. They are my scale alternative when it comes to gauging my body size. For me it’s less how much I weigh and more about how I feel and how big/small I am. I know that the scale stresses me out and I obsess over the number. If I feel like my testers a little tight, I don’t even hesitate — I put that cookie down or I tie on my sneakers and head out for a run!
If I’m on the verge of eating that or not working out when I know I need to, I just try on my tester jeans. They are my scale alternative when it comes to gauging my body size. For me it’s less how much I weigh and more about how I feel and how big/small I am. I know that the scale stresses me out and I obsess over the number. If I feel like my testers a little tight, I don’t even hesitate — I put that cookie down or I tie on my sneakers and head out for a run!
7. Skinny Jeans in the Kitchen:
Literally hang your skinny jeans in your kitchen or pantry so that every time you walk in to “see what’s new in the fridge” or do some emotional eating in hopes of making yourself feel better (which will ultimately make yourself feel worse) you see those skinny jeans hanging there and realize that, while those 10 seconds of taste bud bliss as you down that bag of chips will be heavenly — if you avoid that daily bag for a month, you will be slipping, as opposed to squeezing, into your skinny jeans. And in the end, nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
Literally hang your skinny jeans in your kitchen or pantry so that every time you walk in to “see what’s new in the fridge” or do some emotional eating in hopes of making yourself feel better (which will ultimately make yourself feel worse) you see those skinny jeans hanging there and realize that, while those 10 seconds of taste bud bliss as you down that bag of chips will be heavenly — if you avoid that daily bag for a month, you will be slipping, as opposed to squeezing, into your skinny jeans. And in the end, nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
8. Post-Its in the Pantry:
Find yourself opening the refrigerator door and eyeballing everything (as if you don’t already know what it’s stocked with), perusing the pantry, and riffling through the freezer, even when you’re still full from dinner? I do. Waaaaaay too often. I am great at late-night self-convincing that enjoying a few (or a heaping handful) of M&Ms is “okay” and that, no, I won’t regret it in the morning. Instead, I place Post-It notes with little reminders that I shouldn’t eat that cookie, alternatives to eating that cookie, and, worst case — the result of eating that cookie: weight gain.
Find yourself opening the refrigerator door and eyeballing everything (as if you don’t already know what it’s stocked with), perusing the pantry, and riffling through the freezer, even when you’re still full from dinner? I do. Waaaaaay too often. I am great at late-night self-convincing that enjoying a few (or a heaping handful) of M&Ms is “okay” and that, no, I won’t regret it in the morning. Instead, I place Post-It notes with little reminders that I shouldn’t eat that cookie, alternatives to eating that cookie, and, worst case — the result of eating that cookie: weight gain.
9. Strip!:
If you’re having a hard time motivating, strip down to your eco skivvies and face yourself in the mirror. It’s not about looking for flaws, it’s about looking at where you stand right now and being honest about it. Yes, I could use a run right now. No, I really don’t want to paste that cookie to the side of my thighs…
If you’re having a hard time motivating, strip down to your eco skivvies and face yourself in the mirror. It’s not about looking for flaws, it’s about looking at where you stand right now and being honest about it. Yes, I could use a run right now. No, I really don’t want to paste that cookie to the side of my thighs…
10. Say It Out Loud!:
Yes, if you are about to mindlessly snack, take it out of your mind and make the announcement: “I am now eating this entire bowl of leftover pasta because I’m bored, not hungry, even though I know it will go right to my butt.” If not working out is your issue. Say “I am not going to work out right now because I would prefer be lazy and not address the fact that I need to get healthy. I am making the decision to prolong and even worsen my health and make my weight loss journey take even longer.” Chances are your statement will make you think better of it.
Yes, if you are about to mindlessly snack, take it out of your mind and make the announcement: “I am now eating this entire bowl of leftover pasta because I’m bored, not hungry, even though I know it will go right to my butt.” If not working out is your issue. Say “I am not going to work out right now because I would prefer be lazy and not address the fact that I need to get healthy. I am making the decision to prolong and even worsen my health and make my weight loss journey take even longer.” Chances are your statement will make you think better of it.
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