Hey guys.
It's Lay.
So I've been thinking about this blog post for awhile since by the end of January many people fall off their fitness goals. I feel like in January it was so hard for me to start my goals because I've been mainly focused on doing things that make me happy. I also been pretty reflective on my journey.
The time I felt the most pleased about my body was the time I was the most depressed. Even if I was smiling and posting like everything was okay, I was so broken. The first guy I genuinely loved left me and that tore me to pieces because being the person I am, I couldn't figure out how any one could just do that. How someone could just break all the promises they made, how a person can know all the things someone's been through and put them through it all over again after building a bond with them... It was cruel. I didn't understand and because he wouldn't answer, I wanted a distraction from my feelings and working out became one of them. What I was doing was masking the pain and that isn't healthy. I remember in January I was looking for quotes to post for the quote of the day, I came across one that said" You can go to the gym, drink your water and take your vitamins but if you don't deal with the shit going on in your heart and head, you're still going to be unhealthy". That line spoke to me because there are so many people setting goals without no intentions or even worse is to be accepted by other people. So before you fully go into your fitness journey, be honest with yourself why you're doing it. If you are doing it for someone to be attracted to you, that is a terrible reason because: if that person changes their mind to like you when they showed no interest before, they are incredibly shallow and being in a relationship with someone like that will take a toll on self esteem. It will make you feel like to stay with them you have to maintain a certain image and that isn't good for you. On the other hand is even if they aren't into you after you worked so hard, you will feel like there is something wrong with you (and there isn't, sometimes it's the wrong timing and other times the person regardless of how you feel about them, isn't right for you but there is someone who will be. Sometimes it happens when you least expect it and other times you were just searching in the wrong places but I'll talk about this more in another post). If you are using it as a way to avoid something deeper in your life, just take my advice and start it when you feel ready. When I start my journey back in 2018, I did it because I had no control over anything.. people left my life, spread lies so more people would turn against when I already had a bad representation because of bullies and I just hated myself because I used to put all the blame on myself when in reality I made mistakes in situations but so did other people and a lot of times it was a cause and effect. But I did so good that summer and really had a glow up but at the same time those intentions weren't sustainable because as soon as I saw him on the first day of school again, I broke all over. I started to hate myself even more and stopped taking care of myself. The moral of the story is before you even decide to work out, make sure your head is straight and your intentions are pure. If you are struggling mentally, work on fighting those demons before even taking on something as challenging as weight loss. When someone is in a bad mental state and trying to change their appearances it can lead to body dysmorphia, anorexia, bulimia and other health issues. Also when you are doing it for you to feel happy, for you to feel accomplished, for you to be healthy, it is much more sustainable to turn into a life style.
I'm sorry that the introduction was long but I also felt like it was important to say before giving on how to get and stay motivated through a fitness journey. With all this being said here are some tips for staying motivated.
Tips
1. Create a list of long term and short term goals
So this is something that I learned from health class years ago but I find it to be one of the most effective things I learned in that class. So whether it is a long term or short term goal, make sure it's realistic. The difference between long term and short term goals is short term goals are usually something you can achieve within the span of 1-3 months where as long term goals are goals that can be accomplished by your short term goals and ultimately is a lifestyle change. An example of a long term goal is to run a 10k marathon at the end of the year and a short term goal is to run a mile 3 times a week and every 2-3 weeks you can increase how much you run.
2. Create a vision board
For a lot of people it's hard for them to stay motivated because they cannot imagine themselves completing their goals. So to help you see what you can achieve if you keep trying, create a vision board. You can either create one on Pinterest , do a DIY to create a poster to hang on a wall or create a collage and set it as your desktop screen on your computer/laptop or lock screen on your phone. Use people you admire as your inspiration, quotes to fuel you and maybe things that bring you joy.Be as creative as possible.
3. Don't restrict yourself and take it one day at a time
This is something I couldn't stress more. People think throwing yourself into a diet will be effective. Shoving yourself to do something you haven't done for years will just make you miserable. Instead start replacing your sodas with sparkling water or flavored water, add more vegetables to your diet, have home made meals during the week and eat out weekends, allow your self to have dessert once in awhile, gradually switch things out but don't do everything at once. This is a journey which means it won't happen right away for you. Start with little changes to make yourself comfortable with this new start.
4. Surrounding yourself with positive energy
This goes back to what I was saying before about being in good condition mentally to work out. If you are surrounded by people who are negative/ lack motivation/ unsupportive, you are more likely to becoming discouraged. So for intentions of making it work make sure you have at least one friend who is really serious about fitness and personal growth who you can go to for encouragement and that you can probably work out with too.
5. Try not to compare yourself
I want you to repeat this: Everyone moves at a different pace. When it comes to fitness and health, everyone's body is different, your metabolisms is different and not every work out plan and eating plan will work for you. You need to listen to your body and if feel worse with what you're doing, change it. Not everyone can function with a vegan diet, not everyone will feel great with the Keto diet and not everyone can feel energized doing an early morning work out. Listen to your body, figure out what you like and dislikes and how to incorporate healthy choices without draining yourself or becoming miserable. This doesn't just go for fitness too, just know thing will happen with time and comparing yourself to what she's doing or what he's doing won't make it easier for you so worry about your goals and how to get there efficiently.
Gym essentials
Comfortable clothing (sweats, leggings)- This is a given
Sneakers - This is also a given
Water Bottle- Always stay hydrated and honestly I don't trust water from fountains
Wash Cloth/ Small towel for sweat- This is one I forget to do because I don't sweat to the point where it drips (i mostly get hot and a lil shiny ) but this is a something for
Headphones- If you are one of those people who need to listen to music to be pumped during a work out that is absolutely understandable but please wear headphones because one of worst things is when you have on headphones and you can still hear people's conversations, music etc.. because they don't have theirs
Phone- This is a given because you should always have your phone on you
A Lock- Personally the best one to get is a combination lock instead of lock and key
Charger- many people use their phones to listen to music or watch a show while they are working out and some places have equipment that you can charge your phone
Post work out supplies (This includes: soap, face wash, deodorant, wipes, body spray, moisturizer, lotion, slippers/shower shoes, clean clothes) - Some gyms have shower and others don't but even if it doesn't or you feel uncomfortable using a public shower make sure to use wipes to clean yourself up so you can change into non sweaty clothes
So that is all for today to continue with your fitness journey, to work on your mental health or to start one if you feel ready to. I hope this year you achieve your goals or start them because that's just as important. Be sure to like and comment and don't forget to share this with friends and family to motivate them too. Also check out other parts of my blog such as my gallery. Enjoy your morning, day or night (whenever you are reading this) and make it filled with so much happiness, love and joy.
Until next time,
xoxo Lay 💋