Motivation is a fundamental aspect in leading the life you aspire to lead, and also something very personal. There are those who are naturally more motivated and those who struggle with it, but there is 100% NO ONE on this earth who can be motivated 24/7 unless they are a unicorn, meaning (much to my dismay) they just don't exist. Pretty much anything in this world can be used as motivation if it WORKS FOR YOU, that's the most important thing, it's about finding those methods, no matter how big or small, that get you out of bed ready to smash the day ahead!
Sure, I have days where I really can't be bothered to workout or I really can't be bothered to post on my blog, so here are a few things I do to try and banish those lazy thoughts:
Meditation. I have chosen this one first because it's something that I always turned my head at and thought it was waste of time, and to be honest kind of weird, this is a perfect example of "don't knock it 'til you try it" because it has honestly helped me so much to feel more motivated and determined. I use an app called "Headspace" and it's totally free and really simple to use! It takes up 10 minutes of my time when I first wake up in the morning, I feel refreshed and so much more awake than my previous zombie-like self, of course I still need a cup of coffee (or two), but it makes both my mind and body feel super energised, the coffee is just a bonus!
Get the "boring" stuff out the way. Another thing I find really effective. It is human nature to avoid doing the things that we don't want to do and prioritise the things that we like to do, but I have found that reversing this is actually much more productive. For example, I am definitely not a groupie of the domestic duties club, but unfortunately this sh*t has got to get done, so I have started to try and get these things done first so I can then have the rest of the day to do the things that I love about my day like my training!
Having a schedule. This can be tricky when being a university student when you have deadlines and exams, but I have found that sticking to a schedule or routine as best I can really helps keep me motivated and on the ball. If I allocate myself a certain amount of time to get my studies done for that day, I am more determined to get it done and not procrastinate because I know that I'll have something else that needs to be done after that. This might not necessarily work for everyone, not everyone works with this structured lifestyle, but prior to this I was so disorganised and had no structure at all which left me trying to cram everything into a few hours when I could have had the whole day! So having a structure minimises stress which will also help with staying motivated!
Seeing results. I was never a fan of progress photos and I still don't really take them now, but I do document my body and I find it so rewarding when I see that my body is progressing and changing. I will go through periods of time where I feel like nothing is improving in my body and I just feel like giving up, but determination and consistency will never fail you and you WILL see those results! Training your body is a slow and hard process, once I accepted that and started to see results I feel more and more motivated every single day.
Like I said, these are just a few things that work for me, but they won't work for everyone. Motivation is a personal thing and it's actually a really great feeling to find something that works for you, it has taken me years to find ways to keep me motivated and now I have FINALLY got there this is a subject that I value a lot. So, find a way that works for you, be consistent and remember, no one is a unicorn.
Emma x
