The hardest part about becoming a healthier person, both mentally and physically, is finding the motivation to start. Although major lifestyle changes can be daunting, the reward of making progress is so addicting you’ll never look back. If you’re searching for your motivation to start, use this as your sign and begin with these eight steps.
1.) Be mindful
Make time each morning to work on your mental health, whatever that may look like. For me, it’s doing yoga and drinking a cup of tea. For others it may be stretching, reading, meditating, or even taking five minutes to think about what you’d like to do for yourself that day.
2.) Set specific and long term goals
What exactly is it that you’re looking to accomplish? What aspiration is it that gets your fire burning? How far do you want to be able to run? How often do you want to hit the gym? Set a date in the future that you want to accomplish that goal by and write it on a piece of paper. Tape this to your mirror and look at it when you need a reminder of what you’re working for.
3.) Make it a date
Pick a specific time each day (or however many days/week) that you are going to work towards your goals. Put it on your calendar and treat it as if it’s a date because your health is as important as any other obligation you wouldn’t miss.
4.) Prepare yourself
The key to setting yourself up for success is having the tools you need ahead of time. If your goal is to eat more vegetables but there are none in your fridge, things may not go as planned. Instead, make a grocery list and keep your fridge fully stocked with healthy foods- maybe even try meal prepping!
5.) Measure your progress
Believe it or not there are actually a lot of other (healthier) ways to measure progress than constantly checking the scale. Progress can be found in all shapes and forms such as feeling more energized, feeling happier, hitting the times you’ve been aiming for on your runs, or even checking yourself out in the mirror and liking what you see!
6.) Find friends with similar goals
A great way to stay committed is to have a friend who not only wants to see you succeed, but is passionate about the same things as you are. Whether it’s your roommate or you decide to join a club, it’s always nice to have someone who holds you accountable and pushes you harder than you would push yourself.
7.) Remember it isn’t all or nothing
If you go into a major lifestyle change with the goal of perfection, you will likely end up burning out or becoming frustrated with yourself. Full dedication is key, but so is cutting yourself some slack and taking days off when needed.
8.) Do it for yourself
The last and most important aspect to adopting a healthier lifestyle is that it has to be for you, not someone else. Make the decision to start because you love yourself and want to see how much more amazing your life could be if you invested in your health!