fitness motivation
Whether we're trying to lose weight, eat healthier, or go next-level in our fitness, changing our lives for the better is something we all aspire to do--but honestly, sometimes it's hard to stay motivated! There are a whole lotta reasons we get off track, from work and family obligations to an injury and other health challenges. When it comes to fitness motivation, it can be especially tough to keep the workouts up. Often, we have a burst of motivation early on and then a lot of us tend to stall out. Ugh.
And it's not a matter of "if I can" because our bodies are capable of anything, really! You need only think back to your last hardcore sweat sesh to know that. It's more about coaxing yourself to do it. As they say: "Your body can stand almost anything. It's your mind that you have to convince."
The trick is to understand what's driving you, change the narrative if it's making you feel crappy about yourself, and then set goals to achieve what you want!
If you haven't yet, you guys HAVE to watch this YouTube video where Katie talks about being the ugly duckling among her friends before her weight loss journey. She had to first figure out that her friends needed her to be "less than" in order for them to feel better about themselves. How crazy is that!? Once she had that epiphany and worked through the emotional pain, she began to focus on herself, slowly building her self-confidence--and that's when she found the motivation to lose the weight. And her life changed for the better in every way. She's so dang inspiring!
Watch the Video!
Our steps to ditch the bad energy + up your fitness motivation
Set Goals!
Once you figure out why you've decided to begin working on your fitness journey, it's super important to set goals. When it comes to fitness motivation, manageable goals keep us on track and help us stay consistent for long-term success!
Be careful not to be too vague, like "I'm going to give it my all." Be specific and build up slowly, one goal at a time. That can be as simple as setting a goal to walk 2,500 steps daily and cutting out sugar from your diet for one month, for example. After that, participating in an LSF Challenge, and eating a plant-based diet within six months. Those are just examples, but the thing is they're your goals. No one else's. So don't worry about what other people think of them—they have to be reasonable so you can hit them. This is about you. Not them. Negative thoughts will only sabotage your efforts! Say byeeee to that bad juju.
Goals are also important because they hold us accountable. And they help us push through the times that we don't think we can do it anymore, and set our sights for lasting change. Hell yeah.
Get support
When we look for fitness motivation, experts say we are either inspired by others or we become intimidated – which can actually cause us to lose motivation. Bottom line, we need people around us who get us. Who let us know we look great even when we feel like sh*t. Who set themselves up as an example, not as a competitor.
We know that sometimes it's hard to find the right tribe to support your journey (Just listen to Katie talk about that here). When you're trying to find fitness motivation, it's key to look for people who can lift you up—not shut you down. That's why the LSF community is soo amazing. Being a part of #TEAMLSF means celebrating the victories together but also supporting one another during the tough times.
And there are thousands of us from all over the world who are going through the same challenges you are. We all have those days when we don't want to get out of bed, much less jump into our workout. That's when we need our LSF besties the most. To join our community of amazing women and get the benefits of support, motivation and encouragement you need to start your fitness journey, join us here.
Remember, building confidence comes with staying consistent and believing in yourself! Download the LSF Workout app (you get a free seven-day trial!!) and get access to a ton of cute trophies to motivate you to reach your fitness goals and track all the amazing progress you've made (along with daily exercises you can do in 10 minutes or less, exclusive full-length workout videos for every part of your body—whatever you feel like doing that day, and a dedicated challenge section to stay on track during the current LSF fitness challenge).
And you can also turn to you for support! Write down some phrases of encouragement that get you super motivated in your LSF Self Love Workbook so you can turn to them on the ready. There are so many out there that resonate with all of you in different ways. Jot down a few and you'll be surprised what a difference it makes!
Give Yourself Perks
When motivation isn't there, we all need a few little perks to keep us going strong. Now be careful not to choose incentives that reverse the goal you're trying to reach. A pizza as a reward might not be the best choice, but how about promising yourself a new gift for losing a certain amount of weight by a specific date (like these awesome workout accessories—and how 'bout that heart logo hoodie though, or this Dad Hat)!? We can all use a shiny new something once in a while to put a smile on our faces and remind us that we've accomplished something.
Make it fun
Girl, working out doesn't have to be something you dread! Make it FUN! We have the best dance cardio vids in the app that let you really enjoy your high-energy workouts! And pump up the volume on your favorite Spotify playlists--you can connect to them directly on the app! You'll be crushing it to your fave songs while giving a boost to your endorphins—and your mood! You might not even realize you're working out ;)
Appreciate your body and the amazing things it does for YOU! Think of it this way: You don't HAVE to workout, you GET to workout. Challenges make you stronger. Change your lifestyle, have FUN with your workouts and download the LSF app. You got this.
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