These are some tips on how I stay motivated to eat healthy & exercise EVERY DAY.
I’ve been trying to eat healthy and exercise regularly since November 2018. It’s been a long journey but very rewarding. I always loved working out/exercising but eating healthy was quite difficult for me at first. As much as I love drinking green smoothies and eating veggies, I also LOVE eating chips and cookies! Sometimes I just want some comfort food, which I’ve learned isn’t a bad thing! So, the first thing that motivates me to eat healthy is…
Finding Balance
I used to get so mad at myself for eating something “unhealthy” and I would think that I messed up my whole progress. The truth is, I’m not hurting my body by eating a couple of cookies or having a small bag of chips. I would be hurting my body if I ate A LOT of those foods ALL THE TIME. A little bit everyday, for example, a small piece of candy, is completely fine!!! A regular day for me consists of eating oatmeal and fruit in the morning, a veggie bowl for lunch, and a taco bowl for dinner. When it comes to a night time snack, I want some dessert! I literally just crave one (or 3 ?) cookies at night, so I eat those 3 damn cookies with no guilt! Over time you will find your perfect balance ☺️
Check out this post to see all the healthy and nutritious meals & snacks I’ve been loving!
Also, follow me on Instagram @imerikamarie for more healthy meals & snacks. I love sharing my recipes!
TIP: If you don’t have personal control (I didn’t at first) I wouldn’t keep too much packaged junk foods in the house!
I realized that healthy foods do not come packaged, so I had to learn how to cook! This led me to trying new foods!
Trying New Food
I’m one of those people who LOVES grocery shopping! I love to see what new foods are out, buying foods I’ve never tried and I overall love being around food to be honest ? I learned how to cook tilapia, lemon garlic chicken, veggies, soups, and so much more! I’ve always loved baking so I thought cooking would be the same but it’s kind of different. With baking you have to be precise, but with cooking it’s less structured and more fun! I kind of just eye everything and “season to taste”. This is a process (finding what you like) so I would follow the exact instructions the first time! Overall, have fun with it, cook with your partner, friends or family and ENJOY the TASTY food!
Once you find balance and healthy meals you enjoy you start to feel SO MUCH BETTER.
Feeling Good
Once you start consistently eating healthy, you really start to notice the difference! I used to eat a lot of horrible processed food that made me feel sluggish, tired and NOT motivated to do anything! One incredible change that I’ve noticed since starting is I now have WAY more energy to do more things! I would always get tired mid-day and would want to take a nap but I honestly never feel that way anymore! Although, going to sleep on time also contributed to that ? The main point is those green smoothies, veggies and fruits actually make you FEEL GOOD, LOOK GOOD and provide NUTRIENTS for your body!
check out this post about 10 ways to be healthier!
Once you start feeling good, you’re going to have a lot more energy! So, with my new found ✨liveliness✨ I LOVE to exercise/workout!
Getting Toned
Since I’m now at my weight goal I am on a maintenance diet, meaning I’m eating enough calories to maintain my current weight. This also means I can workout regularly to get my whole body nice and toned. I’ve been working out regularly since January and I definitely see the difference! My lower belly is slowly disappearing, my arms are slimming down, and my legs look more toned. I feel SO MUCH BETTER when I workout but on days where I have a headache or I’m not feeling the best I do yoga. Yoga helps with my tense muscles, for strength, and for flexibility! When I start to get bored of a workout it starts to feel like a chore, so I change it up pretty often! I don’t have a set workout routine except I make sure to workout 4x a week for 30 mins. Those 30 minutes could be walking on the treadmill, yoga, pilates, whatever gets me moving! Overall, exercise keeps your mind and body sharp and focused! ??
In all honesty, the one thing that keeps me motivated to eat healthy and exercise is seeing my body transform into what I always wanted. Strong, toned and nice legs (lol). But seriously, it takes hard-work, consistency and persistence but I’m getting there.
In the end, BALANCE, FEELING GOOD, TRYING NEW FOODS, and GETTING TONED helps me stay motivated when it comes to eating healthy and working out.
I hope this post helps you with your health and fitness journey. Remember things take time and effort but it’s all worth it.
Until next time,
FTC: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links at no extra cost to you.
Brilliant. You explained this very well. I enjoyed it and I will follow your tips.
Thank you & good luck on your journey! (:
Routines are nice but we should always avoid extremes and test to see if something really works for us.
Even if it does surprisingly and we hate it, try something else
Balance is useful too because it prevents us from being so static. And cheating with something really good isn’t a death sentence.
we just need to make sure it’s done as a reward and soon enough you may not want it anymore
Craige
Great tips ! It’s hard for me to stay consistent. I need more motivation, but I’ll keep in mind everything you wrote here. I can do this !! ?
self-discipline! I plan on writing a whole blog post on this but to stay consistent we have to tell ourselves “we have to”. Not easy, but it helps us build a routine (:
balance has been an everyday struggle for me
Keep junk food out of the house really helps!
Great post! Love your tips, it is sometimes hard to find time to take care of ourselves! Thank you!
I know, right! I’m constantly telling myself “I’ll feel better afterwards”. And I honestly always do!
Awesome post! I’ll be sure to keep these tips in mind.
I like the way you encourage not getting down if you eat a few cookies or chips. Your tips are very realistic. Thanks for sharing them.
I think giving up foods you actually like isn’t a sustainable diet. Eating a little bit of junk food isn’t the worst thing! Thanks for reading (:
This is a great post! I exercise consistently and enjoy it. I have trouble with the eating part ? thank you for this
Me toooo! I really want to start meal prepping! When I do, I’ll make sure to share it on a blog post (:
Great suggestions! I think you hit the nail on the head – my personal fitness & nutrition efforts changed considerably as did my mindset the moment that I stopped seeing it in black and white. We are human, and we’re not always going to be perfect in our efforts, and that’s okay!
It is okay! I always have to remind myself that everyone has there own health/wellness journey and I shouldn’t let theirs affect mine.