Hands up, who’s fallen off the health and fitness wagon yet? ✋ Or should the real question be, who hasn’t??
Me, me and me again…
It’s nearly the end of February and the novelty of the new year start has somewhat worn off. There have been several occasions that have warranted a treat night; a couple of birthdays, Valentine’s Day, pancake day, pay day, last day of the school term…first day of the school term…bad day at work…good day at work…it’s a Wednesday. You get the picture.
Add to this the dark nights (and days), lockdown, homeschooling, having Covid, snow days and icy conditions. It’s fair to say, it’s been quite hard to stay motivated. Those of you who have manged to stick with it…I salute you!!
So how do you stay motivated when you’re not motivated? I know that’s a bit of an oxymoron but stay with me.
No-one, and I mean no-one, is motivated all the time. Even the world’s top athletes or fitness trainers that seem like they are always on it…not even them! OK, so they may have more motivation than most, and this is probably one of the reasons why they are top of their game, but also they probably have a clear goal…and I’ll come onto that in a moment. But even they, the Roger Federers of the world (actually bad example, that man’s a machine! Let’s go with Usain Bolt instead)… even they have off days, just like the rest of us. Days when you just can’t be bothered. Days when something else gets in the way. Days when your plans change.
Knowing that it’s ok not to be motivated all the time is the first step to maintaining motivation in the long-term. Accepting that there will be off days and it not being the end of world. I planned to go running three times last week…I went running once! On a couple of days, my plans changed and I didn’t have time, and on Sunday, I was just well and truly fed up and just couldn’t be a***d. I used to beat myself up about this but I now do not view this as a failure. What I did instead was try out a new HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout that took only 15 minutes (and I kid you not, I sweat twice as much as I did on the run!), and on Sunday I went for a long walk instead.
The other way I find helps me to stay motivated these days is to remember my long goal…the leanest, fittest version of me, being a personal trainer and helping others to achieve their own fitness goals. But probably just as important is having little mini goals – I’m able to do full press ups now – I couldn’t even do one last year. I’m also working on my flexibility, squats are still a work in progress, and I’m trying to do more walks and steps every day. Smaller task-related goals that help keep me on track.
So when things don’t go to plan for whatever reason (and as a 43 year old working mum, that happens a lot!) remembering these goals means that I can more readily get my motivation back and do something, even if it’s not exactly what is on my training plan.
This is what I call finding my “Fitness-Life Balance”. It’s got to be realistic to be sustained. It’s got to allow for the inevitable slips, it’s got to be adaptable, it’s got to accept that I am a busy human being with other things in my life. Finding my fitness-life balance is the only way I am going to make a lifestyle change that works for me and that I will stick with.
And it is this “real-life” approach to personal training that I am determined to promote. I want others to find their own fitness-life balance too…and if that includes lazy days on the sofa and letting your hair down every now and then, well that’s just fine!
