The motivation hacks to keep you on track with your goals

Whether it is weight-loss, an improvement in fitness, losing baby weight or switching to a healthy lifestyle, there are trusted lifestyle hacks that everyone can use.

One of the issues that I find crops up again and again with people seeking to change their eating or fitness habits is their perceived lack of motivation.

While it appears that some people have motivation and willpower in spades and others don’t seem to possess any at all, there are ways to keep your goal in sight.

Here are my five top tips to achieve that longed-for result.

1. Set realistic goals

There is nothing more demotivating than deciding you want to lose two stone in a month or signing up for a marathon in spring having never run so much as a 5k before. Setting yourself small, achievable goals with incremental steps has been proven to be more successful time and time again. Seeing change for the better will motivate you to continue and suddenly you are that person who has willpower in spades.

2. Keep it personal

Remember, your goals need to be specific to you. If it’s weight loss you desire, decide how much you wish to lose, by when and how. This allows you to break your ultimate goal into small manageable bitesize chunks which are much more likely to be sustainable and achievable. If it’s increased fitness that is eluding you, a specific goal which you can gradually work on with timely progressions and planned workouts will see you much more likely to succeed rather than increase too quickly and risk injury or just find the exercise or weight you are lifting too much and you just give up.

3. Make sure your goals are measurable

Measuring yourself for weight-loss is the obvious one. What is less obvious, however, is the number of measurements you can take. If possible these should include: body weight on the scales, measurements taken with a tape measure and body composition. This will give you the breakdown on muscle, body fat, water and bone.

The aim is less body fat, more muscle, quite often more water and possibly even increased bone density if yours is a little low. Seeing muscle percentages increase is a great feeling and should make you look leaner as a result.

4. Plan your workouts

Literally! Pop it in your diary. You are far more likely to do them if its already been allocated time in your busy schedule.

The important thing here is to find exercise or sport you enjoy – then it’s not a chore, you actually look forward to doing it. There is so much choice out there. Try to start the week off positively, then you are more likely to continue in a positive way. Also consider a workout buddy or group. Are you more likely to continue alone or alongside a group of similarly minded people with the same goal in mind?

5. Remember how good you feel

Focus on the feeling you get after a great workout or a healthy meal rather than a bad choice – you are one step closer to the goals you have set yourself. Well done! Use this feeling to power yourself forward and achieve those small goals you have set yourself to reach that end goal.

You’ve got this! Good luck! n Visit emma-fitness.co.uk or call 07508 960230