Motivation: On the Agenda for 2016

I wasn’t born to a fitness family. I wasn’t born to a place where healthy lifestyle was exceedingly encouraged. In fact, I was born to a life where comfort and tranquility were deemed the most important.

Don’t get me wrong; my life fit me well. I loved spending my afternoons with friends, eating tiramisu and sipping lattes. I loved spending my evenings with family, watching TV and gorging on popcorn and candy. But it was only fun and games, until I realized I wasn’t truly happy. I wasn’t happy because I knew that what I was doing to my body wasn’t healthy.

It took me a while to understand the true meaning of a healthy lifestyle. It also took me a while to implement that healthy lifestyle. Why? Because while the decision to make changes to my life happened overnight, the actual changes did not. I remember going to bed so motivated. I thought to myself, I’m going to start a new life. I’m going to exercise daily. I’m going to eat healthy. No more junk food. No more being lazy. But I also remember waking up the next morning thinking, what did I get myself into. That motivation I had felt the night before, was suddenly nowhere to be found.

The most common and biggest mistake people make is setting unrealistic goals. People have certain habits and behaviors that they’ve developed throughout their entire life and they expect to change them by snapping their fingers. When that doesn’t work, they lose motivation, get discouraged, and give up instantly. What needs to be understood is that motivation is linked to goals. If you set goals that you cannot realistically achieve, your motivation will naturally sink. If, on the other hand, you focus on feasible short-term objectives, you’ll have a greater chance of accomplishing them. And when you accomplish them, your motivation will undoubtedly skyrocket.

Here’s how to get started with just a pen and paper:

1) Determine your ultimate goal
2) Determine the motive behind your ultimate goal
3) Every Sunday, set small daily goals for the week
4) Give your self 1-2 days of rest per week
5) Don’t forget to reward yourself

Leading a healthy lifestyle isn’t difficult. But it’s not easy either. It requires planning and commitment. If you’re a newcomer, my best advice to you is to purchase an agenda. In this agenda, you’ll not only plan your workouts, but you’ll also plan your meals to ensure you’re eating a balanced diet and not over-indulging. Trust me, having everything written down will make it less overwhelming. And once you start crossing off your completed tasks, you’ll feel proud and strong.

Meal-Planning tips:

1) Download healthy recipes and keep them in one folder
2) Determine your grocery shopping day
3) Before going shopping, choose the meals/snacks you’ll be eating for the next few days
4) Make a shopping list accordingly
5) Don’t buy anything that’s not on your list
6) Once you prepare your meals, pack them in Tupperware containers so that you can just throw them in your bag in the morning
Scared? Don’t be. Your life won’t revolve around your agenda forever. Once you get your motivation in gear and you get used to your new healthy habits, you’ll be able to ditch that agenda in no time. Everything that seems to be frightening you now, will eventually become second nature and you won’t even have to think about it anymore.

So tomorrow, put some fun music on and get that body of yours moving. And remember, it doesn’t matter if you’re 15 or 50, it’s never too early or too late to start a new life. You just got to understand, it’s not all or nothing – it’s step by step.

RISE Collaborator: Brenda Raftlova