Five Tips to Stay Motivated in Your Fitness Journey

As I have emphasised in my earlier posts, fitness is not a goal but a journey, which one must undertake with focus and discipline. The fifth month of the new year is over and at times the determination that we started with also reduces and so does the frequency to go to the fitness centre. This is also the time of the year, when new year resolutions, which seemed so strong, now seems to waver. Here are five tips which helped me, and would probably help you stay on track :

• Stay Positive and Motivated – During my post-surgery phase, I was depressed. Yet, I did not want to lose myself within the vortex of depression. To stay positive, I watched many motivational videos such as TEDx and read self- help books. The Hebbian Law in psychology states that “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” The more you play a negative thought, the more entrenched it becomes in the subconscious, forming a loop with stronger neural pathways. Thus it becomes harder to stop thinking about it which ends up causing depression, anxiety etc. Positive thoughts also loop into strong neural pathways giving positive energy and happiness. I have always preferred the latter.
• Get surrounded by Positive People – I broadly classify the people in my life into two categories – people who matter, and people who don’t. The people who matter in my life are the ones who encouraged me, motivated me and helped me stay positive. My sister and personal training was my constant pillar of support during my dark days.  It was her feedback and opinions which I took seriously. As for the naysayers, I put them into that little bucket called “People who don’t matter”, and moved on.
• Keep Regular Reminders – Every day is a new day with a new start. Hence, every day I reminded myself on where I wanted to see myself. I stuck pictures of women whose figures I admired on the mirror – the first thing I saw as I brushed my teeth in the morning. It served as a daily reminder of where I wanted to be. I created a scrapbook and vision board of interesting articles with respect to healthy food, exercise routines, fitness competitions,gym workout and anything else which struck my fancy and I thought would help me reach my goal.

• Smaller, healthier  Portions  – I cut down on the amount of food I ate. I picked out a bowl and limited my portions to the size of that bowl – be it rice, pasta, or sabzi. I stuck to fruits for my in-between-meals cravings. During the occasions my friends and I decided to meet up at a buffet restaurant or street food, I took my entire meal in the soup bowl, as opposed to a plate. This ensured I did not fast and feast.
• Work Around your Hobbies – As mentioned in an earlier post, I loved shopping. Every time the dress I loved did not fit me, it was terribly depressing. After I began my regime, I started getting dresses one size smaller which motivated me to keep losing weight till I fit in.  If you love socialising, be conscious of the amount of calories you consume. Similarly, if travelling is a hobby, ensure you keep working out during your travel/ stay at a hotel. (This will be taken up in the next post, so keep watching out).

I hope this post helped at least some of you. If you have more suggestions, I am eager to know. Please comment below so it can help fellow readers.

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