It's the start of a new week, and comes with it #MotivationMonday so I thought I'd share with you a little bit of what motivated & inspired me to start focusing on my fitness & health more in life!
Everyone always says "I'll start it on Monday" when going on a new 'diet' or 'clean eating plan' or 'detox'. Well, I like to set goals - or check lists - of what I want to do in the coming week.
Short term goals are much more fulfilling I feel because you've got a shorter time to achieve something & somehow it motivates me to actually get it done! If you know me, you'll know I have my to-do-list pad & diary to hand everywhere I go!
Over the last year a lot has inspired me when it comes to training - different styles, exercises, environments - and also my eating, what to cook, learning how to make easy, healthy dishes without depriving myself or breaking the bank!
But I want to first mention my motivation from the start. I couldn't have got to the point I'm at without my amazing PT Tina.
When I first went to Tina, I was in a bit of a stand still point with my training. Unsure of what to do to achieve what I wanted & to be honest, lost quite a bit of hope in achieving the goal I had.
Tina trained me for a good few months during my time home from Uni & without her, I wouldn't have strengthened, improved, toned, taught or motivated myself to keep going to get to where I am today.
Having that encouragement for just an hour a week helped me not only lose weight, strengthen, tone & improve my fitness across all areas but gave me confidence to try new things - out of my comfort zone - leading me to how I train today, to not be 'afraid' to try something new, but instead trial it for a few sessions, see if that works for me & build on it from there.
Tina put me through the gruelling hell of achy abs, legs, arms - parts of my body I didn't think could ache were aching! But, my thoughts were "No pain, no gain if I want a body like hers!" A PT really is their own product & Tina looks on point!
Personally, I don't think I'd have been able to motivate myself to get to where I am without Tina's encouragement & perseverance with me - yes, she put me through the gruelling hell of achy limbs but I've come out better for it, so thank you Tina💜
Understandably, personal training isn't the route for everyone - whether that's cost wise, time wise or personal confidence. However, there are different ways to motivate yourself - the way I do now.
My top motivation tips:
- Set yourself goals: Set short term goals on a weekly basis. For example, running further, lifting more or drinking more water a day. Then set long term goals. What are you aiming for? A certain image, fitting into that outfit for a special occasion.
- Plan ahead: Prep your workout plans, your meals, your week - that'll make all the difference. There's nothing worse than getting to the gym & thinking what to do, go in with a plan - stick to it & you'll feel a sense of achievement.
- Inspire yourself: check out what other people are doing, eating & exercising! It's amazing what looking at other people's perspectives can do for your own. Maybe try a new workout or new recipe.
- Progress: track yourself! There's nothing worse than being disheartened when trying to achieve something, so monitor yourself. Check out my previous post on the ways I think it's best to track your progress!
- Don't give up: always keep going and push yourself. If you've said you're doing 4 sets don't do 3! Do that fourth, if it burns it's working - embrace the pain!
Aside from my amazing personal trainer (who I still text about things I'm unsure of now) and my individual goals, I find a lot of motivation & inspiration from other people's journey's.
Social Media "Icons"
A big part of today's society is social media & that's allowed so many people to build a platform to help others out there & guide them to achieve their goals.
Recently, a young PT from London has been my motivation. Bradley Simmonds is 22 years old & has his own PT company. He was set back through injury when training to become a professional footballer, but turned a setback into a career.
I've gone through it over the year myself. It's a long process, I'll warn you (for someone as impatient as me that's frustrating) but measuring my progress, seeing my developments from this time last year only motivates me more to achieve what I've set myself for the next couple of weeks.
Taking his knowledge he created training packs for celebrities & normal people like you & I (unless you're a celeb reading this then that's pretty cool!) with that he's helped, in my opinion, so many people to achieve the image they want.
One thing I love about him is he's a realist - he goes on lads holidays, drinks, binge eats, but doesn't break bad habits - getting back on it when he's home & his blog post is already motivating me when I get home from hol!
Quick workouts or foodies on his Instagram inspire me with my own journey & his personality just helps with wanting to "learn" more from him! If only he was a northerner!
Another "icon" is Alice Liveing. I've mentioned her in a few of my posts but she is an inspiration - her transformation is incredible & for a young girl I really feel motivated to achieve my goals when I see someone similar has been able to.
Recently, she released a book "The Body Bible" with amazing recipes, including indulging treats! Alongside these it includes workouts & what she does herself.
Aside from her book, her Instagram of her bubbly personality always raring to go motivates me to try new things at the gym & to some extent, as I said with Tina, these people are their product so if they're doing X, Y, Z to look the way they do, of course that's gotta motivate you!
Training wise, I find Instagram a great way to find new workouts because everyone trains differently & it's so good to incorporate new things into your workout to surprise your body!
Food wise, Joe Wicks (The Body Coach) will always be a favourite! His 15 second Instagram vids make me drool on a daily basis & I've made some amazing, easy meals from his Instagram & his book!
He's also great for HIIT training ideas - so check out his YouTube channel if you're short on time, but still want to achieve that summer bod!
What you eat is such an important factor when wanting to achieve a goal - especially image wise - so experiment & enjoy some tasty new things.
I know it's soooo easy for me to sit here & write how I think you can motivate yourself, but I promise if you're serious about achieving something, motivation is key to success!
So, if you feel a little slump today after a heavy weekend (especially if you've been boozing it up at Parklife this weekend!) don't worry! Set a weekly goal & start the week positively!
Last night I demolished four cakes, cocktails, a family size bag of crisps alongside endless coffees but you've got to enjoy yourself as well! Monday's here however & I'm back to my poached eggs & swim sessions to set me up for the week!
Simple steps make the big difference!
Thanks for reading! X
Follow me on Instagram - @aprilalexandrax & Twitter
@aprilalexandra1
No comments:
Post a Comment