I will be the first to tell ya you are far from alone if you’re feeling a bit out of sorts and have had low motivation since this worldwide pandemic began. It’s been a heavy last 7 months and we all cope with the stress differently. I can tell you from personal experience that even us peppy, seemingly “health-obsessed” personal trainers are struggling just as much with finding the motivation to do another at-home workout while continuing to eat healthy.

With that confession out of the way, let’s chat about what we can do to increase our motivation and excitement when it comes to healthy habits!

Give Yourself Grace

First and foremost, I want you to pat yourself on the back for mentally (and

physically) making it through the better half of the craziness which has captivated 2020. 

You may have turned to stress eating your favorite junk food, having *one more glass* of wine after dinner, or simply not moving your body because you couldn’t leave the house anyway to cope with COVID-19.

Regardless of how you've dealt with it so far, accept your past actions and move on from them! Change can ensue if only you forgive yourself of any past “mistakes” and become determined to move on for the better of your mind + body.

1. Habits > Motivation

Motivation comes and goes, but habits tend to stick. For example, I may not be in the mood to brush and floss my teeth at night but I’ve done it since I was old enough to walk so no matter how “not in the mood” I am, I will always do it before bed.

The truth is, if we wait until we are motivated to do something in life, we will never accomplish anything of significance. The power of habits is highly underrated! Once you have healthy habits established, you don’t need to wait on your motivation to come back- you simply follow through because you know the consequences of not doing something outweigh the inconvenience.

2. You may not want to hear it but...

Get your exercise! If you are so not into the workout-from-home thing and your gym is still closed, start with a good ol’ fashioned walk outside in the fresh air! You can call upon a friend for accountability to either walk with in-person or choose a time to chat on the phone while you both walk in separate locations. Start with just once a week even... but make it consistent and plan it in advance so you stick to it!

3. Uber Eats from the couch, anyone?

Have you been indulging in too many Uber Eats and not enough fresh greens? There are many alternative options including local meal services like Thistle (they deliver healthy, delicious, premade meals twice a week). If you just aren’t feeling that, head to Pinterest, research some seasonal, nutritious dishes, and make a few each week to get you excited about healthy eating again. (For the love of all things cheese and potatoes, healthy eating does NOT mean limiting yourself to bland meals like tilapia, broccoli and rice for every meal *cue gagging*!!).

If you’re trying to maintain your weight or cut down, your best bet is paying attention to the portion sizes of your food, eating slowly without any distractions, and stopping before you reach that “stuffed” feeling. Yes, you can totally lose fat without cutting out your favorite meals! Shocking, I know. ;) 

There are plenty of other “tricks” up my sleeve for how to revive some of your motivation, but I suggest starting with these 3 habits first. You might even find that by just by beginning to focus on one of these healthy habits, your motivation increases exponentially and you find yourself excited to start more!

Remember, the slow implementation of habits is going to pay off way better in the long-term vs. the quick-fix mentality of doing it all at once (i.e. a 21-day challenge full of restriction and over-exercising). Enjoy getting back into your healthy routine and let me know how this goes for you!

Xoxo,

Savanna