- It’s too cold
- The nights are long (and the days too short)
- It’s already dark
- It’s foggy
- It’s raining
- It’s windy
- Who is going to watch the kids?
- I need to cook for tonight’s dinner
- I have a huge project to finish at work
- Can’t find my sneakers
- I went to the hair salon…don’t want to ruin my hair!
- Don’t know what to do
- In any case I am never, ever motivated
In a nutshell…it’s winter, our energy level is super low, it is hard to visualize ourselves in a bikini, we drool on the super fit girls on instagram for whom all is well and easy….and we feel desperate and we lose our motivation.
Instead of getting up and moving we collapse in despair and gorge ourselves with pizzas, daily cheat meals and ice creams…and our dream body is getting away!
So to keep you motivated and because you are damn worth it here are my 5 proven solutions:
ps: I am giving you solutions…not miracles! You are the only one who can put on your sneakers, get up, open the door and move. There are limites to coaching.
-
Be prepared
Too often we come back from work and stay in our office outfit or lounge in pyjamas at home and just thinking about changing into fitness gear (and before that locating our tops, our leggings, our sneakers…) seems insurmountable. So instead of getting ready we start cleaning up the house, re-reading an important email, we start cooking then we stop….anything to avoid having to move our butt. Some sort of justification for our laziness.
To avoid this trap here is what you can do:
. Always have a ready-to-go gym bag. As soon as you come back from the gym empty the dirty/sweaty clothes and replace them with clean gear right away. Don’t forget your body lotion, shampoo and whatever you need if you shower at the gym. Don’t forget your make up so that when you get out of the gym you look your best.
. Organize your closet so that you have one section only for your gym gear: From sneakers to socks, from tops to bottoms. This removes any hesitation you might have when looking for an outfit.
. If you work from home or are a stay-at-home mom or if you do any activity from home don’t wear your pyjamas all day. Rather, change into active lifestyle gear right from the beginning of the day. This will help transform your idea “Let’s walk for 10 minutes” into reality. You will be super motivated and ready to get out even for 10 minutes.
. Make sure you have two full fitness outfit (at least). When one is dirty you still have one ready to go. No excuses.
2. Gym Buddy
We all need a gym buddy. Mine is Stephanie and we don’t do anything else together outside of the gym room. We always meet at the gym and we plan our sessions beforehand so that we don’t have the excuse that we did not know we were supposed to meet.
We never cancel our sessions except on rare occasions.
A gym buddy will encourage you and vice versa. It is a beautiful exchange of motivation and support that will totally help you go the extra mile you need to get your dream body.
Look around you, talk to people you don’t know at the gym (that’s how I met with Stephanie….we went to a terribly boring gym class….and we decided to share our experience at the local coffee shop)…..ask on facebook groups who lives next to you and put a gym buddy in place.
To go even further each time we meet at the gym we put $20 in our piggy bank. And little by little this piggy bank (we call it “the pig”) if fattening up. After 18 months we have $2000! Soon we shall reward ourselves (but not with food, with a short trip).
3. Visualize
The power of visualization and meditation has been proven over and over. That’s why I suggest a simple yet super efficient daily visualization exercice.
Choose your dream body: You before, a healthy hot body (don’t go for a super skinny unhealthy body), or a drawing of your dream body. Visualize it living your life : going to work, taking a shower, sleeping, exercising, etc…..this body is taking your current body place.
Spend 5 minutes a day on this visualization and motivation technique.
4. Special photo
Let’s continue working on the visualization and meditation front to increase your motivation level. Choose an image with your dream body: You before, a healthy hot body (don’t go for a super skinny unhealthy body), or a drawing of your dream body.
Cut this photo out and replace the head with yours.
Make color copies.
Tape that photo all over the place : on your computer screen (well, on the side), on your bathroom mirror, in your car, in your restrooms, in your drawer at work, etc….
Seeing it every single day will help create a new YOU in your brain and will help you feel more motivated to go to the gym and to eat better.
5. Come with me!
Need somebody to kick your butt and help keep your motivation level at its highest? Join me on Facebook, read this blog or join my online coaching program LeBootCamp.com
So now….you belong to the #TeamNoExcuse group. Let’s get this bikini body of yours!
Valerie Orsoni
Your LeBootCamp healthy living and weight loss coach
Tags: coaching fitness motivation techniques
Leave a Reply