🍀 Be kind to yourself

 

Individual motivation – or the lack of it – is only part of the bigger picture. Money, parenting demands or even where you live can all be stumbling blocks, says Sniehotta. Tiredness, depression, work stress or ill family members can all have an impact on physical activity. “If there is a lot of support around you, you will find it easier to maintain physical activity,” he points out. “If you live in certain parts of the country, you might be more comfortable doing outdoor physical activity than in others. To conclude that people who don’t get enough physical activity are just lacking motivation is problematic.”

Segar suggests being realistic. “Skip the ideal of going to the gym five days a week. Be really analytical about work and family-related needs when starting, because if you set yourself up with goals that are too big, you will fail and you’ll feel like a failure. At the end of a week, I always ask my clients to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Maybe fitting in a walk at lunch worked, but you didn’t have the energy after work to do it.”

🍀 Work out why, don’t just work out

Our reasons for beginning to exercise are fundamental to whether we will keep it up, says Michelle Segar, the director of the University of Michigan’s Sport, Health and Activity Research and Policy Center. Too often “society promotes exercise and fitness by hooking into short-term motivation, guilt and shame”. There is some evidence, she says, that younger people will go to the gym more if their reasons are appearance-based, but past our early 20s that doesn’t fuel motivation much. Nor do vague or future goals help (“I want to get fit, I want to lose weight”). Segar, the author of No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness, says we will be more successful if we focus on immediate positive feelings such as stress reduction, increased energy and making friends. “The only way we are going to prioritise time to exercise is if it is going to deliver some kind of benefit that is truly compelling and valuable to our daily life,” she says.

🍀Drink a lot of water 

The human body is made of about 50-65% of water, and you need to keep replenishing it. Your body sweats a lot of that water so you need to put it back in.

The amount of water you should drink relies on how much you weigh. To calculate how much water you should be drinking, take your weight and multiply it by 67% (2/3). So, for instance, if you weigh 130 pounds (59 kg) you should be drinking about 87 oz (2.6 L) of water per day.

If you are exercising you will need to increase your amount of water intake to replenish what you are sweating out.

🍀Be social

 If you involve other people in your exercise routine, you'll see a positive impact in your results. Finding a workout buddy can help with accountability. If you schedule an activity with a friend, you are less likely to cancel than if you were only cancelling on yourself.[6]

Group exercise classes also offer benefits. In classes, instructors can offer encouraging words. They can also motivate you and correct your form to make sure that you are doing each move safely and effectively.

Working out is a great way to meet new people. Try joining a running club or a tennis league. You'll make friends with similar interests and stay in great shape.

🍀Get the right nutrients

When you're cooking your yourself, you can fully control the ingredients you use. This will help you make sure you are getting the nutrients your body needs. Eating well can help control your weight, and it can also give you the energy you need to exercise regularly.

Try to eat a diet that includes several servings a day of fresh fruits and vegetables. These are packed with vitamins and fiber.

Eat lean meats and fish. These will provide you with protein and also gives your body healthy fats.

Make your plate colorful. The more color on your plate, the more fruits and vegetables you are likely eating. Try for leafy greens, like kale, and vibrant orange tones, like those in sweet potatoes and carrots.