If you’ve made the commitment to get in shape this year, you’ll have to increase the level of physical activity in your daily life. Generally, you’ll need to burn more calories than you’re ingesting, so you should be prepared for hours of high intensity exercise. If you’re not used to this degree of physical activity, you can feel burned out rather quickly. These tips will help you stay motivated.
Keep Things Exciting
While going to the gym a few days a week is important in helping you meet your strength training requirements, hitting the gym every day will get old pretty quickly. Before you know it, you’ll be finding excuses not to go to the gym. Instead, plan on going to the gym two or three days a week. You can find other activities that you enjoy for those other days. Try bicycling, swimming, or jogging.
Celebrate Realistic Victories
You can’t expect to lose five pounds a week and, when you set that goal for yourself, you’ll just be setting yourself up for disappointment. You should be setting more realistic fitness goals that you know you can meet. When you lose one pound, celebrate that achievement by buying yourself a new book to read or new album from your favorite musician. If you keep that pound off throughout the following week, reward yourself again with a healthy gift. This will keep you motivated without undoing the progress you’ve made in achieving your short-term goals.
Enjoy a Rest Day
You should schedule a weekly rest day in which you don’t engage in exercise. The break will give your muscles time to heal and strengthen, while giving you the break you’ll need for your emotional health. This helps to avoid burnout by giving you a day to indulge other hobbies that you enjoy. On the following day, you can resume your fitness routine with more energy and ambition.
You can also keep yourself motivated by keeping visual cues around that remind you of your fitness goals. This can involve printing inspirational quotes that you can tape to your fridge, computer display, or notebooks. Additionally, clip out photos of models you admire, so you can see the body you want to emulate. These visual cues will keep you on track with your weight loss goals.