How To Stay Motivated To Workout

So something that a lot of people say to me is 'I need your motivation!' or 'how do you stay motivated?'. Very good question! Now, motivation comes from within, you have to want something to make progress each day. However, a quote by Zig Ziglar always sticks in my head, which I think it very apt - 'people say motivation doesn't last, well neither does bathing so I recommend it daily'. I feel like this quote really sums it all up and you need to feed your brain with motivation each day.

So here a some of the ways I stay motivated:

1. Progress pictures - For me, these are absolute key! I struggle to see changes in my body as I see it everyday and in my head I'm still that girl who is 30lb heavier. There are so many ways to track your progress such as - trying old clothes on, taking pics each week in the same outfit, taking measurements (something I regret not doing) and weighing yourself - which by the way you should take with a pinch of salt and the only time I recommend you to weigh your self is as soon as your wake up, before you've ate and after you've been to the toilet. Just to prove how much weight can fluctuate - I weighed my self before and after eating a big bowl of porridge and a green tea and there was 5lb difference on scale- crazy! 

2. Follow like-minded people on social media- There are numerous accounts I follow to keep me motivated - some influencers such as Zanna Van Dijk & Lauren's Fitness. Others I follow are people just like my self who are also on a fitness/weightloss journey. I always make sure to keep up to date with YouTube videos each day and always like to scroll Instagram first thing in the morning as this helps to set my tone for the day. 

3. Educate yourself - I've always been like a sponge and enjoy finding out information, so recently I have been listening to Podcasts each day. I would highly recommend Ben Coomber. He has a wide range of podcasts where he covers different topics. He interviews variety of athletes and influencers in the industry. I think these podcasts to be super informative and much more productive way to spend my time instead of listening to music on my walk to work etc. 

4. Planning ahead - I have personal training sessions twice a week planned in so I simply cannot skip these, particularly when I pay for them. I also find paying for my PT sessions helps me to keep on track better with diet as I think I've paid all this money and worked really hard in this session, why would I want to throw it all away?! Same goes for booking classes at the gym. Tell your friend you'll be there and then you have no excuse not to turn up! 

What helps you to stay motivated?

Weightloss - How I lost 30lb in 5 months

Okay so you guys may have noticed I have been completely AWOL on the blog over the past few months and honestly it's not even because I have lost passion for blogging or anything. I have just been using other social media outlets to document what I've been up to and been so busy learning new things. I feel over the past 6 months I have really grown as a person and made both a mental and psychical transformation - which leads me into the topic of this blog post! 

So since the end of July last year I've lost 30lbs. Lots of people have been asking me 'what's your secret' and everything but I don't have any secrets, I will just tell you how I did it! Before I get into it though I'd like to point out I still am on a weightloss journey and have found such a passion for fitness in the past year so I would really like to start posting more of this content with of course a mix of the stuff I've always posted on here. 

Find something/someone to keep you accountable

1.The first thing I did was sign up to an event called 'survival of the fittest' which is a 10km obstacle course by a company called rat race. After that I thought right okay, how am I going to achieve this goal, like I didn't want it to get to race day and me not be prepared, so I knew I had to put a lot of hard work in or I would just be embarrassed on the day! So I would seriously recommend either signing up to something to train for or to put a date on something you'd like to achieve a goal by - that way it makes it real and you can begin to put the hard work in! 

2. I hired a Personal Trainer who I train with twice a week and still do to this day. Now I know not everyone can afford a personal trainer but don't let money restrict too much. You could always find a few friends who enjoy the gym and do a group PT session to spread the costs and still get a banging work out in! The other option is to go to gym classes, I find these to be a great way to meet like-minded people and also to keep you motivated.  I know PT's are expensive but I honestly find I get every pennies worth. The way my trainer puts me through my paces is amazing! I always like to think I do push myself when I train on my own, but not to the extent that my trainer does. Every time I train we do something different as well! 

What is your diet? 

This is a common question people have asked me, and rightly so because when I see other weightloss transformations, I am always keen to learn how others have achieved such amazing results. For me, I didn't calorie count at all! I just tried to eat the best I could and fuel my body in the right way. I'm a vegetarian and also try to eat plant based where possible as I don't think my body works well with dairy - it gives me spots etc! I will be totally honest and say the old phrase of 'everything in moderation' mantra is true. Believe me when I say I've had sooo many cheat days where I've had dominoes, Chinese, the odd Krispy Kreme etc. Do not deprive yourself! The diet part is actually the bit where I struggle most but I am working so hard to get better every day and you can do the same. Remember the mind gives up before the body! 

What exercise do you do? 

So over the last 6 months I have definitely upped my exercise regime and I am completely loving it. I enjoy a variety of exercise disciplines - classes I currently do include body pump and functional rig class. I also enjoy running and my favourite day at the gym is leg day. Spinning is something I dabble in and go through phases with! Like everyone there are days where I seriously can't be bothered but I have fallen in love with the feeling after a workout, and I love to work up a sweat! The only workout you regret is the one you didn't have!

Let me know if you guys enjoyed reading this, I feel I have a lot of content that I can potentially start posting about fitness and food that I think you will all find really useful and plus I love to have an excuse to keep on track too!