Last week, I made a post regarding my mental connection with working out, so it was only right to follow up this week with some motivation to those who are looking to start/continue/restart their fitness journey. I know that we just closed out the first month of the new year and it’s so easy to lose the ever so popular ‘New Year, New Me’ excitement and motivation when it comes to working out, so I wanted to share a couple of mental shifts that have helped to keep me on track.
Now first things first, I'm not here to present myself as though I'm some critically acclaimed fitness guru however, if you’ve followed me for a while then you know I’m no stranger to the gym. I have started, stopped, and restarted my fitness journey more times than I count, but since I've moved, this has been one of my most consistent stretches yet. The game changer for me was realizing that the physical aspect of working out is only a small portion of building the habit; it's the mental aspect where many of us become stuck and stagnant in our journey, so here are some things that I've implemented to help with that.
Tip #1 - Let Go of the ‘New Year, New Me’ mindset.
My motto for this year is simply ‘New Year, Better Me’. While at one point in time, I was definitely part of the 'New Year, New Me' bandwagon, I have come to realize that we don’t need to reinvent ourselves every single year. A solid foundation has already been built and while there’s absolutely always room for improvement, this pressure to become a totally brand-new version of ourselves each year can have the opposite affect than what was intended. In most cases, it’s not helpful and only creates self-inflicted pressure to conduct a total overhaul of every aspect of our lives in a 12-month window. We should always be striving to grow and evolve on a continuous basis, so let’s leave unrealistic expectations in the past. Losing 30lbs by March might not be the most realistic goal however, making a monthly commitment to incorporating more water/fruit into your daily routine is a realistic and achievable habit that can help drive some of the changes you'd like to see. Try to focus on creating small habit changes that allow you to make gradual changes over time rather than trying to restructure your entire life at once.
Tip #2 - Throw Your Scale Away.
Kind of kidding here, but also kind of not. There are far more ways than just the scale to measure your progress. One of my favorites is taking measurements. I typically drop inches before I drop pounds, so taking measurements is a way I can confirm if my routine is working or if I need to make some tweaks. Another way is to simply judge how your clothes fit/feel. The moment I began fitting comfortably into my Fashion Nova jeans, I knew I was on the right track. The ladies know. Other methods may include assessing how you look/feel. Do you feel better charged for your day? Do you have more energy? Has your stamina increased to where you're no longer winded from walking up a flight of stairs? I've been a victim to scale-watching and know how discouraging it can be when you're doing all the things, and the scale doesn't budge or worse...the numbers go up (this happens to me often because of my muscular build). For instance, if you look at the pictures I used for this post, I'm sure you would think I lost a pretty decent amount of weight however, the difference in these pictures is a matter is roughly 8lbs. In the picture on the left (about 2 months postpartum with my youngest), I weighed 210lbs and the picture on the right was just a couple weeks ago when I weighed in at 202lbs. What I have learned about my body is that I carry my weight differently than others. I'm noticing that it's not difficult for me to put on muscle and if you know the science behind working out, you know that muscle weighs more than fat. What that means for me is that the scale is likely going to increase unless I'm greatly reducing my caloric intake to create a deficit. I know people say that you can't outwork a bad diet, but I am living proof that you can LOL. I've not made any changes to my diet or restricted myself from consuming any food groups, etc. These results occurred despite my diet not being the most intentional. Could I see faster results if I cleaned up my diet? Absolutely. However, for me, I'm looking for something sustainable. I love cereal. I love pasta. I love yogurt, so while being restrictive may work in the short-term, I know that for me I won't be able to maintain that long-term. So don't buy in to the pressure that you have to eat broccoli and celery all day long to see results, you can again, make gradual changes to your diet that will help drive the changes you want to see over time. But in the meantime, grab some measuring tape or your phone to take some progress pics and step away from that scale.
Tip #3 - Focus on the journey and not the destination.
All too often, our fitness level is tied to a specific deadline. How many times have you killed yourself in the gym in order to drop an insane amount of weight by a specific deadline? Your birthday is coming up next month. Your summer beach vacation is in 3 months. You have a 20-year (cause yes, some of us are that old) class reunion coming up. There’s some event where yet again, you’ve inflicted an unreasonable amount of pressure on yourself to look a certain way or have clothes fit a certain way before a tight deadline. I have absolutely been guilty of this in the past, but I will say that the moment I stopped giving myself deadlines to reach unrealistic goals, working out became much more enjoyable and I am now able to see the fruits of my labor/efforts in the results. I’ve said on a couple of posts how working out is daily therapy for me and the results are just a bonus, and I mean that wholeheartedly.
And let me be clear, I am not at all saying that goals/milestones aren’t helpful and often needed throughout a fitness journey, just be sure to assess the ‘why’ behind the goals you're setting. For instance, you want to lose 5lbs within 3 months. Is it to feel more confident? Is it to create a healthier lifestyle? Tying weight loss and fitness goals to short-term fixes can cause more negative mental impact than good because if you fall short of that goal, you're less likely to maintain the habit. My favorite saying is 'stay ready so you don't have to get ready.' If you've made working out a habit in your routine then whether you have a birthday coming up or vacation, you won't have to stress yourself out with immediate fitness goals because you will have maintained them over time.
Tip #4 - Use working out as a way to decompress.
Decompression is an absolute must on a daily basis. Whether it’s decompressing from work stress, home stress, or just life stress in general, or if you’re like me, it’s a combination of all those things, working out can be a great way to zone out and give yourself a mental break. Working out alleviates my high levels of stress, assists in gaining clarity, and quite frankly, has become one of the only times of the day where I’m not “mommy”, I’m not “NeTeah the employee”, I am simply NeTeah who can detach & disconnect from the world for about an hour a day and be intentional about devoting some time to pour into myself and replenish my own cup. I’ve gone as far as turning my ringer off and putting my phone on DND during my workouts just to ensure that nothing/no one can interrupt my designated me-time. You should try it.
Tip #5 - Find a workout you actually enjoy.
I know that IG is inundated with weight and cardio workouts that seem daunting to watch let alone actually do but know that there are SO many other forms of physical activity that yield great results. Also keep in mind that you are not confined to the four walls of a gym to get in physical activity. Take a bike ride around your favorite park or neighborhood. Turn on some of your favorite songs and have a dance party in your bedroom. Grab a weighted jump rope and some resistance bands and workout in your driveway. If you enjoy the sounds of nature, find a path and go for a nice walk/hike. The possibilities are literally endless and by finding an activity that you actually enjoy, working out won’t seem like such a chore.
Bonus Tip: Learn to love & embrace your body through every stage.
Speaking to the girlies (especially the moms) for a second because I'm sure many of you can relate. Carrying a baby does a NUMBER to our bodies. Things stretch further than elastic and don't necessarily find their way back to their previous place/state. Even for those who haven't carried a baby, life, stress, grief, and age can have our bodies looking totally unrecognizable at times and that's okay. There's a random quote I've seen on the internet that says "workout because you love your body, not because you hate it" and again, what a total mind shift that can create. Stop shaming yourself in the gym or in the mirror and saying "I'll be happy when/if..." or "if only I could lose..." Be proud of your body exactly as it is while working toward the body you desire to have. Embrace every stretch mark, every patch of cellulite, every dimple, you name it. If it helps, recite some affirmations while admiring your body in the mirror. Or challenge yourself that every time you think/say a negative remark about your body, you have to make up for it by saying something positive. Learning to celebrate your body through all of its phases is bound to have more a positive impact on creating a fitness routine than reminding yourself how much you hate it.
No matter what your fitness journey currently looks like or has looked like in the past, know that I am here rooting you on. Pushing yourself through a workout is really a test of mind over matter and once you can shift your mindset in regard to working out, you've conquered more than half the battle. If you need an accountability partner, feel free to tag me in your workout posts/gym pics (IG: purposefulconfessions). If you have an Apple Watch, shoot me a message so that we can connect. For those of you who are looking for some workouts to get you started, here is my Pinterest board full of various workouts. There are a TON of free resources out there, no membership fee required. If you found any of these tips to be helpful, let me know. Let's work together to make this year a year of progress towards those fitness goals. 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
Love to see it, keep going! ❤️
Another great read thanks for sharing these Tips!!