Now that many of us have settled into our temporary new normal, this is a great time to check in with ourselves. Although different services in the province have begun to re-open, many of our health and fitness routines will continue to be impacted. Read more for tips about how to stay motivated to continue to meet our goals this Spring and Summer!
Check in with yourself
Take a moment to reflect on your patterns the last couple months. Did you find a new workout routine that you enjoy? Perhaps with a change in daily routines came a change in eating and cooking patterns. Without socializing with friends and family in the same way, maybe our eating patterns improved! Whatever our new patterns, may be, take a moment to consider if they are helping or hindering your wellness goals.
Have a clear goal and understand your ‘Why’
Motivation is a tricky task and looks different for everyone. It also can come and go when our lives and daily routines are fluid (as many of ours are now). A key piece to understanding what motivates ourselves is having a clear understanding of our goal and our ‘why.’ Having a clear purpose for why we want to achieve a certain goal can serve as a reminder for when our motivation is wavering. It’s easy to come back to a clear goal and purpose when we need a reminder for why we created the goal in the first place.
If you need some help forming healthy goals, check out our blog post from a few months ago to get started.
Identify and Remove Roadblocks
Along with understanding your goals and purpose, it is often helpful to identify and resolve any roadblocks that could come in your way of meeting your goals. Do you buy and eat junk food on a regular basis? Instead of cutting out snacking all together, replace your unhealthy foods with healthy ones. If your gym is closed and you can’t work out like you used to, take the time to create a new routine you can complete at home that still moves you towards your goal.
Create Check Points for Yourself
It’s often helpful to block out chunks of time to check in on the progress of your goals. For example, every couple weeks reflect on how many times you worked out or how many ‘cheat’ meals you ate. This can help to keep yourself accountable and motivate to continue making progress.
Always Stay Moving Forward…
…but forgive yourself if there are bumps in the road. You may have done everything ‘right,’ but we are not in control of everything in our life and sometimes unforeseen bumps in the road set us back. That is okay! The important thing is to keep moving forward towards your goal. Try to avoid hard and fast rules for yourself. Instead of thinking “Well I didn’t workout or eat healthy this weekend, I may as well not bother this week either,” tell yourself it’s okay to start the week fresh, and minor setbacks are okay. It’s all part of the process.
Health and Wellness Tips to Stay Motivated:
- Try a new workout routine. You may have found a new workout routine that you enjoy and have stuck to doing it. That is great! To stay motivated, consider trying a new one to mix into your rotation to keep things interesting. Now that is warmer outside, mix in a run, a walk, or a bike ride to keep things fresh.
- Make a new healthy recipe. If you are tired of all your own healthy recipes check out Pinterest for some inspiration. If you don’t feel like sifting through hundreds of recipes call on a friend or family member for their favourite healthy recipe.
- Buy a new outfit or a new waterbottle for your work out. This could be a fun way to inspire yourself to workout if you have a fun new outfit to wear! Buying a new water bottle can also have the same effect.
- Schedule your workout and meal prep into your week. Treat these tasks like any other appointment in your week.
- Lean on your support system when you need a little push. Sometimes it can be helpful to have a friend or family member that won’t let you waver from your goals. You can connect with this person when you need a reminder for why you started in the first place.
- Find a fun way to reward yourself. For example, find 20 new healthy recipes to try and once you’ve made them all, buy something new for your kitchen! You could do the same with workouts and clothes as well. Treating yourself can be a fun way to keep motivated.
- Remember to get out of your comfort zone! This can apply to trying a new workout, drinking more water, getting out of bed earlier, or trying a new food you’re not sure you like.
We hope to have given you some new ideas to stay motivated to reach your wellness goals. Spring is a time for growth, renewal, and refresh. Apply these concept to your life and watch yourself bloom! 🌿🌻
Looking for another way to stay well in your life? A Personal Health Plan from Saskatchewan Blue Cross offers health coverage to help you keep your body functioning at its best.