Maintain your drive for the long haul

April 26, 2011

Image by nuttakit.

My goal for the last five years has been to build muscle while staying lean. Anyone who has been working out consistently for years will agree that there are times when motivation is lacking or life gets in the way of your workouts e.g. work,school, illness or injury etc. But how do you stay motivated to keep on going? Here are a few tips:

•  Set a goal for yourself, make a plan on how to achieve it, and stick to it.

•  Take pictures of your progress. This is my personal favorite. It’s hard to see gradual gains. Pictures taken over a period of time will show your progress more clearly.

•  Just as with pictures, logging your workouts will help keep track of progress and provide motivation to continue.

•  Think about the hard work you have put in so far: Eating healthy, staying away from bad food, and going to the gym regularly. Do you really want to lose all your progress?

•  Use it or lose it! I know I don’t want to lose my hard-earned muscle.

•  Is that [insert your favorite unhealthy snack here] really worth taking a step back in your goal towards getting in shape? The craving for unhealthy food will usually diminish after some time of eliminating it from your diet. Find healthy substitutes that satisfy that sweet tooth, they are out there.

•  The toughest lift is your ass off the couch: Thinking of skipping the gym? Getting enough rest is very important, but if it has been a while since you last exercised just think how great you will feel after a completed workout!

•  If you have a hard time laying off the junk food try having one day of the week when you pig out with your favorite food. The rest of the days you keep it healthy.

•  Recipes can be made healthier by substituting some of the ingredients with healthier ones. You can actually make pancakes, cakes and cookies that are good for you and taste as good as the original but without the sugar.

•  Don’t be afraid to ask other people with physiques similar to what you wish to attain about how they got and keep their body in shape.

•  Read magazines, books and blogs that motivate you.

•  Get a workout partner if you don’t have one already. It will help you on those last hard reps and both of you can motivate each other.

•  Don’t keep unhealthy food at home. If you don’t have it readily available you are less likely to eat it. Keep healthy foods available to prevent you from ordering out and eating unhealthy food.

•  Don’t work out when you are ill. It will be an unpleasant experience that will set you back in progress and motivation – use this time to rest.

•  If you are trying to lose fat don’t use food as a reward. Buy something instead (e.g. new workout outfit), treat yourself with a visit to the spa, or do whatever else that boosts your motivation to keep going.

•  If you currently have an unhealthy lifestyle, make gradual changes. Don’t try to go super healthy over night. It is not likely to last.