Hi friends!
I’ve been struggling a little bit recently with keeping on track with regards to my fitness and weightloss, but I’m finding ways to keep my determination and give me a new burst of motivation, so I thought I’d share them with you. I started back in April, and my Mum can vouch for the fact I NEVER stick with anything (she is still amazed I’ve committed to Daniel for so long hahaha!) so that fact that I’ve managed to keep going and not give up is a massive deal to me and hopefully I can keep it going as an everyday part of my life.
Anyways, here are some of the things that help me keep going.
1. TREATS! ‘Cheat’ meals and treats are massively important for me, as if I restricted everything off plan completely then I would 100% end up binging and pick up very bad eating habits I wouldn’t want to have. I try to stick to one cheat meal a week – cheating for me is high fat and/or high sugar foods. I’ve been cheating a little bit too often recently, but I am consciously doing it and tracking it, so that I do not spiral out of control and go back to my old habits. ‘Cheat’ food is also important so that my tummy gets used to that kind of food and doesn’t stop me having it completely.
2. TRACK PROGRESS! Ever since I started I’ve logged my weightloss, week by week, initially I tracked my weight by pounds, but now I look deeper into body fat percentage and muscle mass. Numbers have been a massive gauge of progress but if I relied on them solely I don’t think I would have kept going so strong, that’s why, maybe to the annoyance of everyone on my social media, that I take so many photos! I’d followed many ladies on Instagram that posted progress photos regularly and they always said how invaluable they were to see the changes and compare them directly. So when I started I did 5 photos, easy to copy poses and a mirror I’d always have access to, so I could directly compare photos and track progress that way, and it’s been massively beneficial for me and personally the BEST way for me to stay motivated. I like to share them on my Instagram and Facebook not only to hear people’s words of encouragement (which are a massive help and boost for me) but also to show I’m taking action and making myself accountable so that the next progress photo will be even better.
The photos below are April 2017 VS November 2017.
3. POSTIVE AFFIRMATION! It is allllllll about positive mindset. All of it. And I will not believe anyone who says otherwise. You tell yourself ‘I CAN DO THIS, I WILL DO THIS’ and you’ll do exactly what you say. Being positive and approaching everything with a positive mental attitude will help you conquer all. Yes, it’s bloody hard sometimes, and I’ve had odd days or an odd week where I’m like, ‘I can’t do this’ and my workouts were poor, my eating was bad and my mental health suffered for it. But speaking to fellow minded positive people helped lift me and I told myself to go and smash it, and so I did exactly that and bounced straight back.
4. LEARN TO SAY NO! No to those office biscuits on a Friday, no to those alcohol filled nights just because and no to the ‘just one won’t hurt’. Little things that you can easily say no to may trip you up, and cause unnecessary delays in your progress that could have been easily avoided. People at work are ALWAYS trying to get me to have ‘just one’ biscuit, chocolate, sugar in my tea, dessert or sugar filled drink that I never wanted and never needed. I especially felt pressured on the Macmillan Cake Day as everyone bought in their wonderful treats that looked amazing and I was the main organiser of the event, being around the treats all day and organising them yet resisting all the offers and temptation. It’s okay to say no and stand your ground. Believe in yourself and will power to stay strong!
5. FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF! Let yourself love your body, even if it’s at the start, in progress or at your goal. It’s 100000% okay and encouraged to love your body, as this will give you so so much confidence and motivation to improve even more. Confidence is such an amazing feeling. And also inspiring others is just as rewarding as doing it for yourself. You don’t know who you’ve helped along the way, and that could be life changing for anyone.
That’s it from me, speak soon!
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