Motivation for the New Year

Motivation is the only factor that can really help us improve our lifestyle habits for good, allowing us to get real and long-lasting results – whether it comes to nutrition, fitness, our careers, or any other aim in life. Life coach Faith Shorney explains why being motivated is the key to success. 

January seems to be the time of year where gym memberships soar sky high and everyone takes to the streets in an effort to run off their Christmas stuffing and get back in shape.

New Year’s Resolutions are a long-standing fad, designed to keep you in endless and unforgiving self-improvement mode, spending money you don’t have, on things you don’t need, to lose weight which you will more than likely put straight back on once the initial infatuation with your new personal trainer wears off or the motivation fizzles out because you took on too much and are too tired and worn out by week 3.

If you want to see results, start thinking long-term, because beach babes and bikini bodies aren’t made in a month, or even two, they take time and dedication, and when you start small you can stay motivated.

Motivation is key here, and my top 5 tips for staying motivated are these:

1. Set your goals and then break them down into tiny, minuscule, daily and weekly bite-sized chunks that are easy to accomplish and will keep you feeling motivated each time you achieve one of your mini-goals on the road to your greater success.
2. Get real: don’t bite off more than you can chew because that is a sure-fire way to guarantee failure – dream big, but make sure your dreams are realistic or that you’ve given yourself enough time. 12 weeks won’t produce the perfect body (despite what the magazines tell you), but 12 months will.
3. Have fun: seriously, this isn’t supposed to be agonising, and if it is then there’s no way it’s going to be sustainable. If you find things you enjoy, do those, forget about the latest trend in Zumba or yoga, if it’s not your thing, try something else. Do what makes you happy.
4. Be accountable: tell everyone your plans and make sure you lay your cards on the table for the world to see, then ask for support. When people know what you’re up to and they are helping you and supporting you, then you become accountable for your actions and your success is shared.
5. Change the way you think: Think of it this way; if you change your attitude towards fitness, you will change your actions! Yes, it’s going to be damn hard some days, but if you keep reminding yourself of all the reasons why you started this in the first place and of all the amazing things it’s bringing to your life, slowly you will begin to change the way you see things and it will become a more positive experience.