8 tips to stay motivated to follow a healthy lifestyle

The key to living a healthy life is to strike a balance between your mental and physical health. To feel good and healthy, you need to be in a good mental space while working hard to achieve your physical health goals.

But there are times when we become unmotivated when it becomes hard for us to get up in the morning, and do yoga or go to the gym. Even getting up and going to the office or a social gathering becomes hard. Until and unless your mental health is good, you won't be able to work on your body.

It is especially seen that people who struggle with weight and food, find themselves in a vicious cycle of losing weight and gaining it. Some people don't, but most do, and that is because, during their fitness journey, they lose motivation to keep going, and they start gaining weight again. Staying healthy is not only about losing weight, but it is also about eating right and having a good lifestyle.

How do you do that when you feel unmotivated? Well, first of all, remember that you are not alone. Everyone feels like this at some point in their life. The trick is to find ways to help you get your motivation back and figure out ways that can keep you motivated for long.

Here let's see 8 tips that can help you stay motivated to live a healthy life.

1. Keep celebrating small victories that you achieve

Did you just have a promotion, but it was not what you hoped for? Or maybe you lost some weight, but not as much as you wanted? If your answer is yes, or if you are facing any such situations, most of you will become sad it is because you didn't get what you hoped or worked for.

When you think like that, it can lead to negativity and you can become demotivated. You will feel like your hard work is not paying off. Instead of feeling sad, celebrate the little wins, see the positive in it and treat yourself. If you start seeing in a negative light, you will not be happy.

Also, you could be in a scenario in which you cooked a dish perfectly or managed to get complete your project before the deadline. Make sure that you celebrate this win too, as it will help cut the monotony in your life. It will aid you to kick start your day with energy.

2. Learn to live and enjoy alone

If you are not happy alone, you won't be happy with anyone. If this continues, you will end up getting depressed or extremely sad thinking you have no one to go out with or share your sorrows. This type of thinking leads to negative energy which can harm you physically or emotionally and also makes you unmotivated to try anything.

The best thing to do is, don't let this feeling stuck. First, understand that it is completely fine to be alone, and do things like watching a movie or going to dinner alone. If you want company, maybe reach out to a friend or relative and reconnect. Or attend meetings, events, and social gatherings and meet new people.

3. Take life one day at a time

What often makes people unhappy and unmotivated is that they expect results faster, whether it is with their weight loss goals, or with their career. Things take time, and you need to be patient. Don't expect miracles, and start to enjoy each day, when you will look at your routine and activity daily, you will see how far you have come.

4. Leave expectations behind

One of the worst human traits is expectations. We expect people to love us, care for us, call us, or do things for us. But no matter who you expect this from; no one is obliged to do anything for you.

You will be happy if you don't expect things from people. Often when people expect and are heartbroken, they become demotivated, and it leads to other serious problems.

5. Surround yourself with positivity

We are talking about staying motivated and not let negative thoughts enter our mind. But it is easier said than done. With so much happening in our life, we tend to have negative thoughts sweep in our minds. The trick is to not let it affect you or stay with you long. How? By surrounding yourself with a positive environment and positive people.

Don't hang with people who are negative or bring you down, cut them loose, it is best for both of you. Also, hang motivational posters in your room, in your cubicle, have inspirational quotes on your phone and laptop. You can create amazing motivational posters using Canva.

6. Eat right and do portion control

When you eat nutritious and healthy food, it helps you stay healthy, active, and high on energy. If you binge eat or eat only junk food, it will make you restless and low on energy which makes you feel unmotivated.

So, include protein-rich food in your diet. Eat a lot of fibre and vitamin C rich food. Try to include all minerals in your plate or throughout the day.

Also, make sure you practice portion control. Even if you feel like eating junk, eat less, not double the amount, it will help you avoid overeating amongst other things.

7. Work on your hobby

Everyone has a hobby; some don't just work on it. Hobbies give you joy and cut through the monotony of your daily life. Maybe you love dancing or cooking or writing or reading, take out time each day for these activities. It will relax you and fill you with energy.

8. Envision your future self

Envision your future self; see yourself as a successful person, who is happy in her personal and professional life. See yourself as someone proud of their imperfections. When you will see how happy you are, you will find it in yourself to make some changes.

What do you do to motivate yourself?