Feeling Fit and Fabulous: Six Helpful Tips for Maintaining Motivation

Getting in shape is a common goal. Every day, millions of women around the world make the commitment to eating healthy and exercising, but how many of them actually stick to it? If you want to improve your fitness levels but worry about maintaining your motivation, read on. A few simple tips and tricks can help you keep your eye on the prize.

1. Ditch the Unrealistic Role Models

Researchers in the Netherlands discovered something interesting: Women are more likely to lose weight and continue healthy exercise and eating habits when they aren’t bombarded by images of thin, beautiful women. During the study, women who wished to lose weight were divided into a group that was exposed to images of thin women and a group that wasn’t. The images were placed on a food journal that the participants were asked to use during the study. The second group was given a neutral journal with no images. The first group gained weight during the study. The group that was free from the influence of the pictures succeeded in losing pounds.

You might be asking why this would be. Shouldn’t seeing images of our ideal goals motivate us? Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to work that way for most. When you look at an image of a thin woman, your conscious mind might say “I can’t wait to look that way,” but your subconscious mind is thinking “I don’t look that way, and I doubt I ever will.” Even if you aren’t aware of it, having that mindset is going to affect your motivation.

2. Know that the Struggle Gets Easier

One of the biggest factors that can kill newbie fitness motivation is feeling sick and out of breath after every workout. It takes time for this to change. You can’t expect to start a new routine and end up glowing and feeling euphoric after a couple of tries, especially if you’re coming out of a sedentary lifestyle. Having realistic expectations about how your workouts will make you feel will make it easier to keep going when things get tough.

Having realistic expectations about how your workouts will make you feel will make it easier to keep going when things get tough. To ensure that you stay excited and motivated why not consider the help of Elite Training Coaches to help you stay accountable and on track? Assisting you with personalized training courses that are tailored to your individual needs and that which you want to achieve, not putting unrealistic demands on yourself or any unnecessary pressure. You will be receiving ongoing support and advice to keep you motivated and make sure you reach your desired results. The most important is that you need to feel safe and know that in the long run, you will achieve the long-term fitness goals you had. By getting expert guidance, you’ll be one step closer to achieving the body of your dreams.

3. Make the Goal the Feeling, Not the Result

When you get beyond the initial struggle, you'll begin to feel amazing when you get done working out. This should be the goal. Starting a workout routine because you’re excited to see results will cause disappointment, which can lead to burnout. You want this to be about feeling great. Looking great is wonderful, but results won’t appear overnight. You’ll need to power through a lot of days when you’re feeling unmotivated it you want to end up with a body you feel proud showing off.

4. Be Realistic About Your Body Type

This ties into tip number one and three. You have to realize that genetics play a role, and you can’t necessarily have the exact body you want no matter what your fitness level. Some women have wider hips, larger breasts and more curves than others. The general shape and tone of your body can be greatly improved through exercise, but you’re still going to look like you. Nothing other than perhaps surgery will give you a totally different shape. Learning to embrace your natural shape is an important part of overall fitness. If you can’t love your body for what it is, how can you expect amazing results?

5. Give Yourself Awesome Rewards

The human brain has been shown to respond well to rewards, but it’s important that you choose rewards that will aid you in the process of getting healthy. Rather than rewarding yourself with a chocolate cake from the corner bakery, consider choosing something that will help motivate you even more.

For example, a good reward might be some great new outfits from Fabletics, actress Kate Hudson’s cute and comfortable line of workout gear. The company gives you a quick quiz to determine what styles might work best for your lifestyle and then presents you with ideal pieces to choose from. It’s the perfect way to reward your efforts so far and prepare to do even better in the future.

6. Find What Works for You

You can read a dozen articles like this and try what feels like hundreds of different things, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to whatever works. If you find that exposing yourself to a specific person, image, video or song gets you in the mood to exercise, keep using that method. If you’re sure that the influence you’re experiencing is healthy, there’s no reason not to continue.

If you’d like more information on the Fabletics brand, please contact us today.

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