Staying Motivated with Your Health Goals

There are many opinions out there about the best ways to improve and maintain your health. People will swear by certain diets, a type of workout routine, or a mental health practice that is guaranteed to result in better wellness. But unfortunately, not everyone can follow the same plane to reach their health goals, even if those goals are exactly the same.

How you choose to pursue health is completely up to you, but making those decisions is not even the most difficult part of the journey, nor are the behaviors themselves. Many would agree that the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals is staying motivated.

When you start a new habit in the name of being healthier, it can be difficult to build up that habit until it is a well-established facet of your routine. The first few weeks of the behavior may be filled with energy as you are starting out, but as the newness begins to fade, so too might the motivation to continue. This is especially difficult if you do not experience observable results in a short period. Whatever your health goals are and however you choose to pursue them, here are a few ideas for staying motivated to continue the process.

woman during abs workout

Talk to a Life Coach

Life coaches are fantastic resources to rely on when you are facing obstacles. Some of them even focus on health-related coaching. Certified professionals have worked hard to become expert life coaches and they specialize in helping others move through obstacles that are in their way. When you are having trouble staying motivated in general, but especially when it comes to pursuing wellness, talking through your challenges with one of these coaches could be the perfect way to get you back on track. They can offer guidance on how to deal with struggles that you face in life and become the best version of yourself.

Start the Day with One Small Step Toward Health

When you think about your long-term goals for better health, it can become discouraging when you are not seeing the results you hope for quickly enough. Maybe you were planning to go for a run later in the day but when you wake up, you don’t know if you will have the energy to do so. The best thing that you can do is to start something healthy with one good decision right off the bat. Instead of cereal, maybe start your day with oats, fruit, and yogurt combined for a healthier breakfast. Taking this small step may be enough to motivate you to take another, such as drinking a bottle of water before your day begins. From there, it can have a domino effect, eventually giving you the mental strength and desire to go on that run. When you are overwhelmed by the loftiness of your goals, start with one small step toward health to get the ball rolling.

Celebrate Numerous Milestones

Rewarding yourself for changing your habits and pursuing health is key to success. Let’s say you have a goal such as running in a 5K without having to walk. If you are starting from scratch, that is going to take a lot of work to build up your endurance to that level. A motivation problem could arise if you focus too much on reaching that 5K benchmark. It might feel like an insurmountable hill that you have to climb, which can discourage you from pushing yourself. Instead, focus on the smaller milestones to start. When you have done your first 10-minute run, reward yourself with an incentive. Then come up with a stronger incentive for doing a 20-minute run. Eventually, after passing several milestones and celebrating each of them along the way, your final goal of finishing a 5K will be in reach. Imagine if you had only thought about that distance the first day you went for a run. 

Find a Buddy

Doing difficult tasks becomes easier when you are not alone. Just like a life coach can help you find the motivation to get through obstacles on your wellness journey, a buddy who is reaching for similar health goals alongside you can be an accountability partner. Together, you can encourage one another, participate in whatever the healthy habit is in tandem, and keep each other on track and motivated. Sometimes all you need is a friend to push you for one more step toward your goal.

Do Not be Ashamed of Setbacks

As you incorporate these strategies for dealing with a lack of motivation on your health journey, it is still a possibility that you may suffer from a setback. Sometimes things beyond your control may have caused the issue, such as plans popping up that must be prioritized over your health goal. Even if you do lose motivation and take a break from pursuing your goals, there is no shame in that. That is what growth is all about…facing an obstacle and then overcoming it. Everyone struggles with reaching their goals, particularly when they are related to health, so allow yourself the space to lose that motivation and then find ways to gain it back.

Krystal | Sunny Sweet Days
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