Motivation Monday!

So, I really tried to blog yesterday (really keeping up with my resolution if you couldn’t tell ;) but I got overwhelmed with everything that I had to do to prepare for the start of the new semester and it completely slipped my mind!

I wanted to dedicate this post to a resolution that I would love to keep up with which is going to the gym and eating healthier. I was blessed with a yearlong membership to Planet Fitness for christmas (thanks Christian!) but so far I have lacked the motivation to go… I really really wanted to go yesterday but time was not in my favor! Also, stepping in the gym alone is kind of an overwhelming feeling to me. I have gone time and time again by myself BUT I feel very unmotivated and I usually just end up doing cardio… As fun as watching “Say Yes to the Dress” is on TLC while walking on the treadmill I realized that I really need to start incorporating more weights into my routine. So, I went onto one of my favorite fitness websites “bodybuilding.com” and did some research. There are tons of articles, weight lifting techniques, videos with proper form, etc… It is amazing! So, I had an idea of making index cards and putting different routines on each for the different day. This way, I can easily pick my day and walk up to the weights looking clueless and actually have a plan. Also, about a year ago, I made a “motivation wall” however! It became more of a spot for me to hang up my sunglasses and hair pieces (picture below) so tonight I decided to completely re-do it so I can hopefully rekindle the motivation I had for it a year ago.

Before -

After -

I kept the general idea of the one before but i felt like it needed to be more organized and not used as coat rack for my glasses and head phones.

I wanted to keep all of my race bibs because I never thought I would ever enter into a race and it helps me realize that I accomplished six 5ks in one year! I swear one day I will do more than a 5k but unfortunately I get bored after mile 5 so it is hard for me to want to keep going. I re-did all of my fitness quotes because the old ones were just not doing it anymore… Plus a friend of mine decided to draw on them so I needed something new and fresh so I went onto one of my other favorite websites Pinterest and searched “fitness quotes” and found lots of ones that I liked! Some of my favorites were: “if you’re tired of starting over then stop giving up” “today is the day” and the “four simple rules” for fitness. Beside the quotes I listed Monday – Sunday on put the index card with the workout routine underneath. Hopefully, if I can keep up with everything I will start to switch up the exercises and try some new routines so I won’t get bored. My last idea was to cut pieces of paper into strips and write 1-15 on them to symbolize the number of pounds I hope to lose! When I lose it I will take down the number until eventually they are gone! I am really excited after doing the “motivational wall” over. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with it!!

Lastly, after reading several articles directed towards accomplishing your goals for getting fit I made my own list of my ways to help me stick with my plan.

 - Set realistic goals for myself – I need to drink more water and less sweet tea! After I stopped drinking soda I used sweet tea as my crutch. I will never ever give up tea but limited my consumption is probably a good idea. I also need to conquer my fear of lifting weights with the big boys. I might feel silly lifting only 10 pounds but I know eventually I can turn it into 25 (God willing).

 - Allow a cheat meal – I think that I lose hope in myself quickly because I set these rigorous “rules” for myself like cutting out junk food completely and lets be honest there is no way I can ever give my favorite red flavored Sour Patch Kids and pizza! Allowing myself special treats every once and a while will help me realize that it is okay to treat myself without having to cut everything out!

 - Patience is a virtue and one I need to learn to master – I get discouraged easily because I expect results quicker. I need to realize that it takes more than a day to put it on so it will definitely take more than a day to take it off!!

 - Plan ahead!! “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” this can include my meals, packing a gym bag specifically for the car, etc...

 - Lastly, I need to stop buying so many work out shirts and actually use the ones I have at the gym!!! 

Spring break and summer are just around the corner so I hope that I am able to keep the will power up enough to get off my butt and work out! I plan to use this blog partially as a way to keep myself accountable to make better decisions in the way I eat and to remind me to work out even when I feel sluggish and unmotivated.

Thanks for reading!!

Love always,

Meg