4 Tips to Staying Motivated When Life Happens
by Rochelle Griffin
I’m a creature of habit. I need routine in my life. Because of my crazy life as a homeschool mom, wife, and work at home entrepreneur, I find that I MUST workout in the morning before my son wakes up or it probably won’t happen. That said…life happens and doesn’t always play out like I think it’s supposed to. What to do? Throw my fitness out the window? Nope. I’m going to share with you some ways to stay motivated when life throws you a curve ball or a loose lizard in the house (trust me, it happens in my house.)
Case in point yesterday. We were getting ready to head out of town for a few days and errands were taking the forefront on the “things to get done” list. I had to be out of the house before my son was even awake, so needless to say, my workout did not get done at the usual time. I told myself “No worries… I’ll do it this afternoon.” I knew in the back of my head that I might have just fed myself a line of bull.
Fast forward to afternoon. We were done with homeschool for the day. Next on the agenda: my workout. Did I feel like working out? Nope. I still had a huge list to get through before I could say we were ready for vacation or before I could even say my work was finished for the day. After all, there were people out there who were waiting for my reply on their questions about health, fitness, and nutrition. Let me add that I was just plain tired. If I was going to do anything other than pack or work, I wanted to chill on the couch with a hot cup of herbal coffee and a book. Hey…I’m being honest.
Do you see how easy it would have been for me to completely skip my workout? I’ve just totally justified to you why I could have skipped it. Basically I’ve given you excuses. Granted they made sense, but at the core, they are still excuses.
Guess what? I worked out anyways. Once I was finished, I felt fabulous and refreshed…ready to finish what I needed to.
What excuses do you provide yourself as an out for not exercising when you don’t feel like it? This requires that you are completely honest with yourself. You must dig down to the core of the excuse to be able to recognize it and push past it. Once you recognize the excuses, you can use motivation to get yourself moving and doing what you know you to do.
Four tips to staying motivated:
1. Remember that YOU are WORTH it!
This is the most important tip ever. As women and mothers, we tend to put ourselves last. We take care of everyone else…make sure that his or her needs are provided for…even if it means that we do nothing for ourselves. This is a slippery slope that leads to a hole that is difficult to get out of. Ladies, it is OK to take care of yourselves! Trust me, when you feel good about yourself, it trickles down to your entire family. Giving yourself an hour a day…even if the hour isn’t when you necessarily planned it…is a gift to you, your spouse, and your children.
2. Do some digging and figure out what excuses you come up with to NOT workout.
As I’ve said, once you recognize them, you take away the power that they had over you.
3. Tape a calendar on your bathroom mirror.
This tip has been instrumental in the achievement of my fitness goals. Every day, I write down the workout that I did and whether or not I ate well. It’s literally in my face daily, plus my hubby can see it and has been known to comment on it. If it’s a rest day, I write in “rest day.”
When I have a vacation or special event coming up, I even write a count down of days on the calendar so I know how close I am to the event. Knowing that I only have 10 left until vacation, for example, helps keep me on track even when I don’t feel like it.
4. Have an Accountability Partner.
When you have someone depending on you, it makes it much easier to follow through. Have your spouse or a friend join you in your fitness adventure and get healthy together. If you don’t have someone to answer to, I will be more than happy to help. I’ve helped hundreds of people all over the U.S. and Canada stay accountable to their fitness. As a result, I’ve had the privilege of watching people blossom and meet their goals.
For example, my client, Philip R., recently emailed me this:
I really need to let you know just how thankful I am for your inspiration and help in getting me off my ass and back on the road to LIFE. Today is day 50 for me and I am 40 lbs. down, 6 inches smaller in my chest, 5 inches smaller in my waist, 2 inches off arms and 3 inches of thighs!!!
Accountability works! Click HERE to have me join you on your journey.
Remember, life is always going to happen. In order for you to stay focused on your fitness journey, it’s important to have a plan in place when life doesn’t occur the way it’s supposed to on a given day. Now it’s time for me to go find that lizard.
A Toast to Your Health,
Rochelle Griffin is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years experience who has transitioned her love for fitness, health, & freedom into a 6-figure international company that now helps others live the life of their dreams.
She founded GOFITCOACH with her husband Keith after stepping onto the edge of financial & physical ruin. Having experienced a complete turn-around, they now desire to give hope & support to those who are dissatisfied with their current situation.
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