Fall is upon us and you know what that means: pumpkin everything! It also means staying in where it’s warm and drinking pumpkin spice lattes and watching our favorite Halloween movies, pushing that dreaded thought of going to the gym to the back of our mind. The cool weather can leave us with no motivation to do anything except move from our bed to the couch, but with these tips you will be back to the grind in no time!
1. Cut out the excuses
Stop letting your excuses get in your way. “I don’t have time” or “I’m too tired” aren’t good excuses. You have to make time. You will find yourself much more motivated when it becomes a part of your daily routine.
2. Invest in cute workout clothes
Looking good always makes you feel better. If you buy a bunch of cute workout clothes you’re obviously gonna want to put them on and strut your stuff (especially if they were expensive).
3. Set easy, reachable goals for yourself
Don’t start off by saying “I want to lose 50 pounds” because it’s going to take you awhile to get there. Try setting weekly goals like “lose 1 pound per week” or “go to the gym 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes”. Short term goals will help you monitor your results better and you won’t get discouraged.
4. Go by yourself
You’ve probably heard that it’s better to have a workout partner, but it’s much more beneficial (especially if you’ve been feeling unmotivated) to go by yourself. You won’t be tempted to spend more time talking or devising a plan to skip the gym and hit up Starbucks rather than working out.
5. Allow yourself to have a cheat days/meals
This is one of the most important tips. You have to allow yourself to eat whatever you want sometimes. You have to live your life! If you want to drink wine and eat every cheese in the book with your girlfriends, then do it! If you want to have a piece of cake on your best friend’s birthday, then DO IT! You should let yourself eat those unhealthy junk foods every now and then or else you’re going to get burned out.
6. Reward yourself
If you reach one of your short or long term goals you deserve to be rewarded. Buy yourself that jacket you’ve been wanting. Buy yourself a new workout shirt or new running shoes (refer to tip two: it’s an endless cycle of motivation).
7. Don’t compare yourself to girls on Instagram or other social media
Okay forget tip 5, this tip is definitely the most important. Whatever you do, don’t compare yourself to the girls you see on Instagram! Most of those images are probably photoshopped and if they aren’t, those girls have probably been working out for years to get to where they are. It didn’t happen overnight. If you compare yourself to these girls and wonder why you don’t look like that you’re going to get discouraged and give up. You are beautiful just the way you are!!!!