I posted a little while ago about my weight loss journey. I feel so much better now that my body is much healthier, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t struggle with laziness and food temptation. I’ve found that there are a few things that help me when I’m just “not feeling it.”
1. Schedule your work outs. I like to work out 4 times a week–Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I started that schedule when I started training for my first half-marathon. The 3 weekday runs were shorter (3-4 miles) and Saturday was reserved for your long run. After I finished my half, I kept the same running schedule. Lately, I’ve used my week day runs for incorporating interval speed training and trying out some new circuit work outs. I’ve learned though that it’s okay to move my days around or to miss a day, but I always have to keep myself in check to make sure I’m not getting lazy.
2. Have accountability. Accountability is important in life and can definitely be used for exercise and eating healthy. Personally, I cannot tell someone that I’m going to run on a certain day and then not do it. If you struggle like I do with motivation, try finding someone to help keep you accountable.
3. Read magazines that focus on good health. I cannot read magazines like Shape and Women’s Health and eat snack food. Read those magazines and they will give you inspiration for a new workout or a new type of healthy snack food or recipe!
4. Meal plan. This has been a life saver since we’ve gotten married. I meal plan every Saturday morning our meals for the week. I write them down on the lines at the bottom of each day in my Erin Condren life planner. It’s been so helpful because if I’m running late one day, then I know exactly what I’m cooking for dinner that night. There’s no guessing, not running to the store, and no excess grocery bill because I only buy groceries for one week at a time. It’s really worked for us!
5. Give yourself some grace. I might schedule my work outs and plan to eat a certain meal on a certain night, but life happens. One thing I’ve learned since being a teacher is to be FLEXIBLE!!! As long as I don’t make a habit of it, I’m okay!
I hope these tips have helped you out if you’re like me and sometimes lack motivation. I think they really helped me by just writing them out!
