Press for Progress: How To Stay Motivated During Your Fitness Journey

Losing steam along the way in your fitness journey is likely to happen, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. The theme for International Women’s Day this year, “Press For Progress”, inspired this article.

Photo credit: BET

I personally lost 55kg in a 14-month period. Quitting for me, however, was not an option because I was at a point in my life where I needed change to happen. I needed to get the weight off for health reasons, not just vanity. I came from a family that battled with diabetes and I could see myself heading that way. I knew I had a long road ahead of me to lose the weight and then a life-long challenge to keep it off. The discipline I showed during my weight loss journey would need to become a permanent part of my life and, for the first time ever, I pressed for it.

Here are a couple of my before and after pictures.

Bunmi George

Bunmi George

Maintaining momentum during your fitness journey is to be relentless and consistent in achieving your personal goals. Your weight loss journey is not only physical but also about building good psychological and emotional self-support. Visualising a goal can help you realise it.

Here are a few things that you can do to help build self-motivation during your weight loss journey:

Remind yourself why
It is important to remind yourself why you wanted to lose weight. Take a moment to write down a list of reasons why you wanted to shed those extra pounds. Ask yourself questions like: “If I stop now, what will I look like a year from now?” “What impact would this have on my health?” This will help you recall why you started your weight loss journey in the first place and motivate you.

Plan
Planning your weight loss is like constructing a budget. You have an ultimate goal in mind and you need to work backwards to create stepping-stones that will help you reach your goal. If you’re feeling stuck, it might be time to re-evaluate your overall plan. Concentrate on redefining the milestones that you want to work towards. Also, allow yourself to get excited about the little accomplishments you have ahead of you.

Nicole Chaplin. Photo credit: Pinterest

Keep a journal
A weight loss journal can help you physically keep tabs on your fitness goals and progress in a more personal way. You’re able to keep track of daily motivators, setbacks and small progressions that help you see your journey as a whole. You can use a notepad or download an app on your phone. Jot down what you eat and drink, how you’re feeling, what your struggles are and reminders or words of encouragement to keep you motivated.

Schedule fitness activities
Planning your fitness activities like a business appointment would help you stay on track. So set aside time in your busy week to schedule workouts, plan your meals and then prep them. These little components make up your weight loss journey. You can mark these days with stickers. Decorate those spaces when you follow through with your schedule and set new accomplishments.

Keep pushing
Even if you fail, you will have to learn how to pick yourself up and start over. We all make mistakes. It’s how we handle them and what we learn from them that makes us better. Don’t be hard on yourself if you fail – even after one day. You can do this!