The hardest part of making a lifestyle change is staying motivated enough to stick to your plans. If you’ve tried to lose weight and live healthier and failed before, your family and friends may not be very encouraging this time. The bottom line is that you’re going to have to be your own support system. Here are some tips to get you started on your journey. These tips can also be applied to people who are already in the processes of becoming a healthier version of themselves and just need a small boost to keep them going.
Making Sure You’re Doing This for Yourself
The most important advice I could give is to make these changes to benefit you. Wanting to impress others with your new physique and lifestyle will only motivate you so much. If you don’t get the desired result from those you want to impress, you could face a lot of disappointment. The only way to remedy this situation is make sure you’re changing because you want to do it for yourself. The changes you make are more likely to be permanent if you’re making them because you want to. If you like eating pizza and drinking sodas a few times a week, but you feel pressure from others to change, it may motivate you to try eating differently and working out, but in the end you’ll most likely give up because you didn’t truly see a problem with your habits, someone else did. You’ll only reach your goals successfully when you are 100% in agreement with yourself on wanting to change. Once you’ve found your inner motivators, you’re ready for more steps.
Journal to Track Your Progress
Buying a notebook should be your next step in extending your motivation beyond the first week. This will help you track your progress throughout your journey. Whenever you face a setback that leaves you feeling less than sure about your journey, looking through your journal and seeing the progress you’ve made will reinsure you that you’re capable of continuing because you’ve already made it so far. Journaling can also be very therapeutic if you don’t have a support system. When you lack people to relate to, journaling can provide the support you need because you learn to trust yourself and your opinions over anyone else’s. This will strengthen your confidence to continue in your journey to be a better version of yourself. It may also help in other areas of your life where you may lack confidence.
Find a Support System
I’ve already written about being your own support system, but that may not work for everyone. Some people need the support of another person to keep them going and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone has different needs and should address them accordingly to succeed in their journey. This article is a guideline and you should do what works best for you. Finding a support system in the 21st Century is easy because of the large, health conscious communities on the internet. With just a Google search, you can find many websites and maybe some local places that are filled with people in a situation similar to yours. This is a great way to make friends and find support when you don’t have any readily available to you. I suggest looking into MyFitnessPal and Fitocracy if you’d like to be motivated and find people you can relate to. They are both established communities with great, supportive people online to help you succeed.
Staying motivated doesn’t have to be hard anymore. With the internet and supportive online communities, you can stay connected to others who are also trying to live more healthily. There are solo options that you can pursue, such as journaling, allowing you to look back on your progress when you feel unsure about your decisions and need a boost of confidence to continue on. And lastly, making sure the changes you’ve made are for your benefit will ensure a greater rate of overall success in your goals for a healthier lifestyle. With these tips, there is no way you can fail!
