Stay Motivated!

The first week of January is nearly over, and people are starting to struggle at keeping to their resolutions. So in this crucial time of trying not to break your resolution I'm urging you to keep going and stay motivated! In light of this, I thought that I would pass along some handy tips on how to stay motivated; at not only keeping resolutions, but any other things that you are trying to do in your life.

1. SET YOURSELF GOALS
Having a clear target of want you want to achieve really helps you to stay on track, especially when trying to make a big fitness or health change in your life. Recently, I have found it extremely useful to keep a 'to do' list on a piece of paper on my desk and on my phone. As I can clearly see what my targets are for the day (this can include any homework or chores); for example you could write 'drink 6 glasses of water', then overtime when you drink one  you can cross it off. Moreover, when you cross a goal off you get a feeling of empowerment. It is also useful to have a goal set for the week and the month, in order to feel motivated and show how all of your smaller goals lead to a bigger one.  Just make sure that your goals are achievable, and that they are not too over ambitious.

2. TIME FRAMES
It can be very useful to set a time to do the thing you want to achieve in the week or day. Obviously for some resolutions this isn't possible. However, if your resolution was to workout everyday its much easier to do if you have a set time to do it at, and an amount of time that you are going to do it for. For example, I set myself the goal of doing 30 minutes of pilates every weekday from 6.30am to 7am. I really feel that by following this regular pattern it makes me more likely to do it as I can't put it off as easily. Also, if you make time to do something then it is easier to get into a daily pattern. Setting reminders in your phone, and in your phone's calendar to do these things can be useful too. Another useful tip if you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle, is to go to bed earlier. As sleep is VERY important! If you are going to sleep at 12pm every day and waking up at 6am this is not going to be good for your body. A lack of sleep makes you grumpy, less focused and it bad for your body. Sleep is the time when your body rejuvenates and heals, so if your trying to lose weight, sculpt your perfect body or get clearer skin a lack of sleep prevents this, and slows down the process.

3. STAY INSPIRED
A great way to stay motivated is to be inspired everyday. It helps to follow some inspirational accounts on social media (Instagram, Pinterest etc), that link to your resolution. When you see other people doing the things that you want to do, it makes you more motivated to stay on track in order to try and reach your goals. For me, every time I'm not feeling motivated to eat healthily or read etc, I go onto Instagram,  and find posts that inspire me. If you're trying to stay healthy it can be very helpful to find healthy recipes or cook books hat inspire you. For example, I'm trying to not eat any chocolate, sweets, crisps or dairy products this month. So to stay motivated for breakfast i find recipes online and from cook books like Joe Wick's. (If you're looking for a great healthy cook book buy his! The ingredients aren't hard to find in supermarkets like some of the vegan ones, and it always tastes good!) This morning i made his protein pancakes and they were really tasty. Also they were dairy and wheat free!

4. BE HAPPY

To be honest, I think that the best possible piece of advice that I can give you is to be happy. You have to be doing something that is making you happy, because the fact is that if you aren't enjoying completing your resolution then you won't be motivated. Also, it won't put you in a good frame of mind. You need to try and find things that you enjoy and can look forward to every day. Do not let your new years resolution put you through hell; trying to achieve something that you haven't put your heart and soul into. If you feel like you aren't enjoying your resolution try to alter it so that it becomes more enjoyable, and is something that you are actually going to look forward to doing. This also means that you will stick at it more permanently.  If you need any help trying to change your goals into something achievable comment below and I will try my best to advise you. At first when I started to exercise I found it laborious, but once I found the right You Tuber to subscribe to I was more motivated. I exercise with Cassey Ho from Blogilates. She helped me to discover that exercise could be fun, and a release from daily life. So if your looking for a fresh start, and more motivation to exercise I would really advise you to subscribe to her!

I hope that you have a great week and stay motivated! (leave any suggestions for future posts in the comments)

Hannah x