4 Surefire Ways To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight

We all want to lose weight. A lot of us struggle with this our entire lives. There are fitness programs laid out for us, resources on the internet, entire gym routines tailor-made to suit our specific lifestyles. But if there’s one ingredient that is often missing, it’s the motivation to succeed.

When you’re motivated to do something, you’re always fired up, ready to put in the effort, even when the going gets tough.

While motivation appears to be a fleeting emotion, it is far from a random occurrence. There’s a way to control motivation, empower yourself with confidence, and boost your desire to win. Self-motivation is a skill, and you can train it.

But to understand how to self-motivate yourself, you have to discover what motivation truly is. In reality, it’s a combination of both the highs and the lows. Once you’ve accepted the fact that you will, at times, be demotivated, you’ll learn how to better control the feeling of motivation and make it work for you.

Motivation is especially important when it comes to weight loss. Take a look at these four points to help you motivate yourself to get moving towards your fitness goals.

Today, Evolve Daily shares four ways to motivate yourself to lose weight.

1. Accept the fact that you’re simply not motivated enough

Many of us are in denial. But it’s high time that we accept the fact that we’re simply not motivated enough to work out and lose weight. Once we’ve come to terms with this, it will become much easier to take the necessary steps to propel ourselves forward.

Perhaps you’re already on a fitness program that is designed for weight loss, but you find yourself not as excited as you think you should be. What you need to do is determine why your motivation is down in the first place.

The reality is that you’re going to feel demotivated, for a variety of reasons, and there will be days when you just don’t feel like moving at all.

It sounds pretty obvious, but too many people make the mistake of trying to power through demotivation without acknowledging that they are demotivated in the first place. When you’ve finally learned to accept this fact, only then can you muster up enough strength to move past it consistently.

The next step is identifying what is causing this demotivated feeling. Reasons differ for many people.

Maybe you just didn’t get enough sleep the night before, or you had too many carbohydrates causing an energy crash. Or maybe a personal issue in your life is bewildering your subconscious. It’s important to take a step back to identify these emotional triggers, and then take a step forward by pushing yourself past them.

2. Make a concrete plan and stick to it

Oftentimes, the answer to demotivation, especially when it comes to fitness for weight loss, is proper planning. We could all use a little bit of structure in our lives. Make a fitness plan that works for you, and fits your lifestyle.

Do you ever feel like you don’t ever have time in your day to work out? You’ll be surprised at just how much time you’re wasting on other things. One way to come to this realisation is to jot your activities down. This way, you’ll get a much-needed overview of your daily activities. Ultimately, you’ll be able to determine where you have the free time.

Next up is establishing a personal daily schedule. Part of making a fitness plan involves getting organised, and it should be the first item on your checklist. Identify the specific workout windows that fit your lifestyle.

In actuality, you really only need an average of an hour every day to get a meaningful workout in. Being able to keep to your schedule should give you some added motivation to continue pushing forward.

At the same time, don’t beat yourself up too much if you break your schedule. Things should never be in black and white, especially when it comes to weight loss. You have to learn to adjust.

3. Seek enjoyment in what you’re trying to accomplish

Research has shown that people who actually enjoy their workouts are more likely to stick to a routine over a longer period of time, compared to people who just go through the motions. Experts believe that the fun factor is the most important ingredient to a good fitness program. If you’re having fun and enjoying yourself, motivation comes easy.

Yes, you have a very big goal for yourself. You want to turn your life around, lose weight, and transform your body. It’s an overwhelming task for some, and it puts a lot of added pressure on you to succeed.

But it doesn’t have to be as daunting, especially if you like what you’re doing.

While just simply going to the gym is already a huge step, you can also mix it up a little. Maybe take up a new sport that you think could be fun to learn. Go outdoors and experience nature. There are a ton of fun outdoor activities that compliments your regular gym routine quite well.

Perhaps you would like to try martial arts. Martial arts is a great form of exercise and can teach you self-defence. Disciplines such as Muay Thai, boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and mixed martial arts are a lot of fun, and it’s one of the most popular fitness programs today.

Motivation comes easy when you’re having fun.

4. Promise yourself that you’re going to give it a try

Last but certainly not least, you have to promise yourself that you’re going to give it a try.

It’s true what they say. The most important step is the one you take to move towards your goal. Simply going to the gym isn’t going to cut it. You have to be in there to make progress, to make a dent in the universe.

You don’t have to spend two or three hours in the gym for it to be meaningful. Some very effective workouts take as little as 30 minutes. 45 minutes of high-intensity workout about five times a week is ideal. Be smart with the time you spend in the gym. The results you crave aren’t too far off, and with the right amount of effort, you can transform yourself into your best version.

Too many people take up fitness these days like it’s a fad. Make a promise to yourself that you’re going to give fitness a try, and really allow it to change your life.

One great example of how to motivate yourself into putting in the effort is writing a “read me later” note to yourself. Take a piece of paper and write your “future you” a message. Write down how you’re feeling at this given moment, and what you hope to achieve. Write down your promise to yourself. Fold the piece of paper up and date it six months from today.

Now only open your note on the date specified. Keeping this note will serve as a reminder of the promise you’ve made yourself.

This article, “4 Surefire Ways To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight”, originally appeared on Evolve MMA, Asia’s No. 1 martial arts organisation.