When you are making lifestyle changes to better your life and get healthy, staying motivated can get a bit tricky over time. Although we start our new habits with the best of intentions, sometimes we get overwhelmed and life gets in the way. Staying active and healthy for the long term can only be possible by also learning skills for lifestyle management. If you’ve starting making lifestyle changes recently to better your life or health and want to stay motivated for a long period, here are a few steps to take.
Set realistic goals when making lifestyle changes
The most outstanding goals are smart, realistic, specific, achievable, appropriate, time limited, and measurable. If you’re exercising for the first time in your life, choose a local mountain to climb rather than Mount Everest.
Create an obvious vision of your goal
In order to reach your goal, you must have an obvious vision of exactly what you want in the end. If your goal is physical fitness, see yourself as healthy and strong while climbing mountains, skiing, or canoeing.
Identify personal benefits
Your goals must be correlated to your personal benefits. If you desire an end goal, it is imperative to love that goal. If your end goal is physical fitness, for example, you must love the feeling of being healthy and strong enough to ski, hike, swim, ride your bike, etc. By identifying your precise benefits rather than ambiguous benefits like “I will be healthier” you’ll be more likely to stay motivated to reach your goal in ways that matter to you.
Consider the influences on those you love most
Opting for a healthy lifestyle is not only beneficial for you, but is also indirectly benefits those whom you love most such as your spouse, partner, children, or parents. Becoming physically active and stronger gives you the energy needed to have fun with the ones you love. Improving relationships is a wonderfully reinforcing way to stay motivated to maintain your healthy lifestyle.
The endurance motivator
Once you have made up your mind to change your life, you need something positive to look forward to. Making lifestyle changes and shifting old habits are not easy tasks and you should learn why your goal matters to you enough to go through the trouble.
What is your vision of what your life can be if you have your health and fitness? How do you see yourself at your best, and why is that worth sticking with new changes no matter how hard that will feel? What are you trying to achieve or be physically capable of doing that matters to you? Maybe you want to partake in a fundraiser walk-a-thon or be able to get around when you travel abroad. Once you know this, have ways to remind yourself every day, and keep your eye on the prize.
Set reminders for yourself
Leaving a reminder like placing a note on your refrigerator or setting an alarm reminder on your phone can help you to remember the ongoing task of accomplishment.
Reward yourself for making lifestyle changes!
Choose accolades for accomplishing your goals. Treating yourself and celebrating your accomplishments creates a positive association with hard work and allows you to take a step back and see the remarkable changes you’ve made.
Trying implementing a few of these motivational tips that can help you reach your goals!
