There are times when, without doing it on purpose, you lose motivation . We stop going to the room (where we space out the sessions, until we only go there once a month, because we “don’t have time” or I don’t know what other excellent excuse – which I have already listed in a previous article) , we go back to stuffing ourselves with junk food, in short, it goes like a lollipop in the heavy . It happens. But once you realize it, you get a little – a lot – passionately – madly. Because living a healthy lifestyle and being good in your boots is still neat.
Now that we’ve been thinking that, what do we do? Well, let’s get back to it. And it may seem difficult at first, but actually .. it’s not that complicated. Here are three key steps to get back on track and resume your diet / sport / fit-attitude. ?
1. We take stock: what happened?
There’s no point in running, no, it’s no use, we will first take a little time to think about what happened. Why this sudden demotivation ? Why did the Nutella win? What the hell was it that kept us from going to the gym for 2 months in a row?
The best way to get off to a good start is to analyze what happened, what mistakes we made, so as not to repeat them later.
2. We wonder about our motivation: Why am I doing this, in the end?
It’s much harder to stay motivated if, at the base, you do it for the wrong reasons : you will never maintain a healthy lifestyle in the long term if the only motivation that drives you is is “I want to feel good in a swimsuit” or “my guy doesn’t look at me anymore and I want him to like me”. No. You change your lifestyle for yourself, because it is a great proof of courage and tenacity , because it is really rewarding to make healthy choices and your body says thank you. Losing weight is not an end in itself and above all it does not make you happy . What makes you happy is to see that you are able to be determined, to resist over time, to progress every day. Weight is a bastard indicator, but perseverance in is a much better.
3. We re-establish clear, simple and achievable goals.
Sometimes when you lose motivation, you have set wacky goals – “I want to lose 20kg in 2 weeks” or “15,000 squats a day”. So we don’t hit them – normal – and suddenly, we get all pissed off and give up.
So instead of thinking that we will be Rocky / Kate Moss tomorrow, we take stock of what we CAN actually achieve, in terms of objectives. 3 kilos per month, in loss of weight, that’s a good pace. 3 or 4 sports sessions per week is optimal, etc.
We don’t go from “I eat what I want and I don’t exercise” to “healthy food 100% of the time and sport 6 days a week, weekends and holidays included”.
So we start out nice – but not too nice anyway – and we establish a clear program, easy to keep in mind (even if it means printing it and sticking it on your fridge if necessary) and… we stick to it.
4. We’ll get back to it – and hang on, this time!
Now that we know why we gave it up the first time, we know why we are doing it and we see how we are going to do it. And it sounds easier said than done, but you have all the keys to success.
If you need a little reminder on food rebalancing or how to get into sport properly, I advise you to go throw a look at my little practical guide.
Another tip to make getting back into the saddle easier: you can join a gym with no commitment – it’s a good way to get started without having to think about metaphysical questions about investing, and generally, once you are registered .. you stay there. eh eh.
Another tip: surround yourself with people who understand what you are going through. I know how it is sometimes not to give up, especially if you don’t have the results you hope for (by the way, if you do diet and you are not losing weight, there are several possible explanations, and I wrote an article on the subject here). But once the optimal routine is proven, I promise you it will work. So don’t hesitate to ask questions of those who are more knowledgeable than you, don’t be afraid because we’re all in the same boat. EVERYONE gets slack , and EVERYBODY gets fed up from time to time. It’s normal. But it’s easier to stay on track if we support each other and motivate each other. After all, there are thousands of us who want to feel good about ourselves and have a healthy lifestyle, no one should have to face this alone ?
