MONDAY MOTIVATION #1 | SIMPLE TIPS ON HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED

Hello everyone and Happy July! So over the past 4-5 months i have actually completely changed my lifestyle and i have become a lot more motivated/healthy by changing my diet and exercising a lot more. With that in mind and seeing as i haven't really spoken much about it, i thought why not share with you some of the simple tips i have found work well for me when it comes to staying motivated. I thought i would combine this post into a series of Motivation Monday posts, for the whole of July...

1. do NOT say you are on a diet.

Maybe you do want to shift a few pounds but do NOT ever call it a diet, because diets are always associated as a temporary fix/solution. By calling it a lifestyle choice, it becomes the way you live every single day and your brain is more likely to allow you to stick to staying motivated.

2. you have to do this for YOU and nobody else.

Another number one rule is always do/make your own lifestyle choices for YOU and nobody else, never let anyone else dictate to you what to do and when to do it. You are your own person, you do you boo (one of my favourite sayings right now) because at the end of the day it is your life so it is your right to choose to do and be who you want to be. Only let someone be in your corner to keep you motivated, rather than someone put you down!

3. watch what you are eating.

Some people might not agree with calorie counting but for me personally this has helped me stay on track without any slip-ups, as i have been within my daily calorie budget every single day for well over 100+ days now. I use the app on my phone called Lose it!, it is free, easy to use and has official nutritional of pretty much any food item/product (as well as restaurant nutritional values). The thing i also love about this app is that you can add your own food/meals to the app, say if you have cooked a recipe from a website or book that has all the nutritional values you can simply add them in. The app is set to the calorie budget according to your height, weight and how much you want to lose per week or you can choose to stay the same.

4. cut down on snacking and never skip a meal.

The way those extra calories add up is when you snack a lot in-between meals, which was a slight downfall of mine and quickly got that under control. Now i only have one small healthier snack either in the mid-afternoon or the evening, but never both like i would before. Another huge tip to stay on track/motivated is to NEVER skip a meal, especially breakfast. It is true what they say breakfast is the most important meal of the way, as it increases your energy levels allowing you to stay motivated through-out the day. (stay tuned for a what i ate in a day during this month's motivation monday series).

5. exercise/workout first thing in the morning.

What i have found as worked for me, is doing a workout first thing in the morning, this way i am not only starting my day off right and it is simply out of the way. A lot of people make the excuse by saying "i don't have time" when you do have time if you make time, get up 20-30 minutes sooner than you usually would and even if you only do a quick 10 minute workout you have still done something. 

6. walking.

It is super easy to just jump in the car to go five minutes down the road, but it is just as easy to get your steps in by walking down the road also and this way you are not only fitting more exercise, you are also getting fresh air (this will help improve your mood). If you are lucky like i am to live not too far from a park, just take 30 minutes out of your day to go for a walk which can burn up to 190 calories. 

7. constantly set yourself new goals.

Always set yourself new goals, whether that be week by week or monthly just set yourself a goal to reach and work towards. Then once you have ticked that goal off, create another one and challenge yourself. When it comes to working on achieving goals (not just fitness or diet) the number one rule is to remember to believe in yourself and believe you can push through and do it, as long as you reach your goal eventually at least you have reached it and you can then move onto the next goal.

8. stay hydrated.

Whatever you are doing or whatever lifestyle you live, one that is the most important for your well being is to stay hydrated and drink as much water as you can every single day. Especially now it is summer, it is important to stay hydrated even more in the heat. Drinking lots can help detox your body constantly by flushing out any toxins etc. Talking of liquids, something else that i have been doing pretty much all year is not drinking alcohol. I'm not saying i haven't had a drink here and there because i have, but i haven't been drinking every weekend as i was before. I tend to stick to something like a gin and slimline tonic, which has less calories. 

Catch up on a similar post HERE...

xo.