Having Trouble Staying Motivated on Your Health Journey? Try These Tips

When you commit to being healthier, your journey often starts with excitement and verve. You can’t wait to get started and achieve your goals for living the life you desire. If you have a fitness level you want to reach, the first few weeks can be painful but feel great because of your change. Or maybe you are already setting aside more time for mental health and feeling more relaxed and content.

But motivation is a fickle thing. It can come and go at the drop of a hat. For example, once your new routine is repeated, boredom could enter the picture and cause you to skip a workout or a meditation session. Or maybe your schedule fills up and interrupts your routine, making it harder for you to regain your adopted rhythms.

It can be very frustrating when your health journey stalls out or is interrupted by a lack of motivation. Fortunately, there are a few ways that you can re-energize your drive and get you back on the right foot toward reaching your goals. Here are a few tips to regain or maintain your motivation during your journey towards wellness.

Building Consistency is Key

A new health goal requires persistence and perseverance. No matter what type of measurable you are hoping to reach, it can take time to get there, whether it is a target weight, adjustment to your diet or time spent resting. The key is to build consistency so that your new habit becomes a part of your regular patterns.

This is not as simple as just starting a new habit. Instead, it may take planning, a slow build-up process, and breaking down your goals into smaller, more attainable steps. But consistency is the key to success with reaching your wellness aspirations, so focus on building it up rather than trying to get fast results.

Include a Reward System

Rewarding yourself for hard work is a great motivator, especially when you are chasing after a healthier lifestyle. As mentioned in the consistency section, small steps that represent milestones on your journey to reach the larger goals are important. These steps should be celebrated early and often to stay motivated.

For example, let’s say you are trying to eat a more nutritious diet. The first step may be to list some healthier options you enjoy. Then, the next step would be to purchase those options in place of your usual choices. Don’t hesitate to pat yourself on the back for making that small step in the right direction. The closer you get to your goal, the bigger the reward, such as a night out with friends or buying that new appliance you have always wanted.

Strength in Numbers

Other people can sometimes be the best motivator. When you strike out on your health journey, plenty of others are making similar choices in their lives. You might be able to find them in the community through events, groups, or social media interactions. Having a buddy or group of people who are going through similar experiences and will encourage each other could do wonders for your motivation levels.

It helps to have someone who can encourage you and hold you accountable for your goals. Of course, finding someone who motivates you the right way is important. Not everyone wants a drill sergeant, just as not everyone would benefit from a gentle push. When you invite others to support you on your path, it could provide the motivation that you need to keep going.

Keep Your Body Nourished

No matter what type of health goal you have set, be it fitness-related, dietary, or focused on mental health, the right nourishment can be a great support for your journey. Nutrients play an important role in all matters of health, supplying the different parts of your body with the necessary ingredients to function as they should.

If you aren’t feeling your best because of a lack of nutrition, all aspects of your health will be affected. Eating a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, and whole grains while avoiding too many sugars and unhealthy fats will provide what your body needs to reach your health goals. Additionally, you can optimize your levels of certain vitamins and minerals even further with supplements like multivitamins. A healthy diet will provide the nutrients you need, with supplements acting as additional support for a healthy lifestyle. Keeping your body nourished properly is a key aspect of physical, mental, and emotional health. Then, when you feel better, your motivation to stick to your goals will stick around.

Embrace the Struggle

Living healthier is rarely easy. When you decide to change your lifestyle, forming new habits could take time, and results may not happen immediately.

By embracing these methods to keep yourself motivated, you are creating a safety net for when you start to feel like you won’t reach your initial goals. Build consistency slowly, celebrate your milestones, invite others into your journey, and keep your body nourished to have the best chance of success. Know that you are not alone and that almost everyone loses their motivation to stay healthy at some point. As long as you have a plan in place for when this occurs, you will be able to stay the course and achieve the lifestyle you desire.