Despite our intentions to end the year on a healthy note, the holiday season can sometimes create a perfect storm that challenges our motivation and commitment to healthier living. From festive treats and seasonal cocktails to late nights and social gatherings, it’s easy to give in to holiday temptations and get sidetracked from our goals. And once you’ve fallen off the bandwagon, finding your way back up can feel tricky. But the thing is, you’re not alone. While 80% of Americans embrace new goals with confidence and positivity, fewer than 15% of resolutions remain intact after three months (with 10% not even lasting the initial month). However, this isn’t to discourage you! It’s simply a reminder that setbacks are part of the journey. The good news is that with a little know-how, you can learn how to regain motivation and proactively address and overcome these challenges.
So, to turn those setbacks into stepping stones, we tapped experts for a little extra push. “Whether you’re just starting out on your healthy journey, returning to fitness and wellness after some time away, or are in need of a boost in motivation, there are some simple tips that can help make this feasible,” says Haley Perlus, PhD, a sports and performance psychologist (pretty perfect expert on this subject, no?)
How to Regain Fitness Motivation Using 3 Expert Tips
Dr. Perlus has helped her own patients overcome the same type of mental hurdle we’re facing now; she uses this trifecta of performance tips; a sports psychology holy trinity, if you will.
#1 Mastery Experiences
You’ve been a master at some point in your life — remembering this and reflecting on it is crucial! “As you restart [your healthy journey], recall past successes around fitness and wellness, specifically moments when it was a challenge, and yet you harnessed mental grit to make something happen,” suggests Dr. Perlus.
“Think of a moment when you made your health a priority,” she says. “Think back to when you chose to get up and take action when it would have been easier to be lazy. Remind yourself of overcoming mental obstacles to prove your ability to overcome boundaries and be fit and well.”
Try to stay in that feeling for a bit, and let it sink in — you might feel the motivation brewing! If you haven’t experienced that feeling before, and this is your big debut into the world of health, don’t feel discouraged. You could be reading anything right now, but you’re here, focusing your attention and energy on this article! All in an attempt to better your health. Commend yourself for that!
While you’re at it, try to recall other moments in your life in which you pushed past something hard. The key here is to channel that strength again.
Then keep it going — celebrate each success, big and small (TBH, they’re all big… even baby steps are huge!). In fact, according to Harvard research, small, incremental changes are more likely to become sustainable long-term habits! “Once you make the first new move in fitness and wellness, after each workout, healthy meal, good night sleep, etc, acknowledge a personal success,” says Dr. Perlus. And take inventory! Don’t do this mindlessly. “Did you improve your technique? Did you learn something new? Did you recover from a setback? Did you encourage a friend to join you? These personal acknowledgments will help you to focus on your best efforts that lead to ongoing motivation and inspiration.”
Let’s take a look at what this could look like when it comes to your fitness routine.
Put This Into Practice: Celebrate Your Victories
So the gist here is to remind yourself of your successes — past and current! This might look like the following:
Track your workouts: Did you make time for even five minutes of movement today? Celebrate it! Write it down, log it in your app, tell someone. Making time to pat yourself on the back — treating this like a mastery moment — will solidify this step toward a more consistent fitness routine. Keep tracking your progress as you add more movement to your regimen.
Reflect on positive memories or achievements.
Reflect on times you felt fit, healthy, and confident — or even just proud of yourself! What was your daily routine like during this time period? Who did you surround yourself with? What foods were you nourishing your body with? Were you getting adequate rest? Jot down all the areas in which you can remember, and compare it to your current routine. Where are your setbacks? What healthy lifestyle swaps can you add in? Remember, this is coming from a place of self-love and admiration, not comparison!
RELATED: 5 Expert Tips To Help You Keep Your 2024 Resolutions
#2 Social Modeling
Who are your role models? “When you witness someone (i.e. trainer, coach, or fellow fitness/wellness enthusiast) do something and think if they can do it, so can I, you will gain confidence, focus, and motivation,” says Dr. Perlus. “In sport and performance psychology, we call this tip vicarious experience.”
Take some time to sit and brainstorm on this. Think long and hard about your role models — whether an athlete, actor, family member, or colleague – and jot down what it is that inspires you. Maybe it’s their confidence or work ethic, maybe it’s the way they make you feel, or maybe it’s their slow and steady journey to success.
Here’s the trick, though. “Vicarious experience works best when you observe someone with similar characteristics,” she says. By observing (and modeling the behaviors of) “Someone of the same age, gender, lifestyle, body type, etc., you limit the opportunity to focus on any differences, and tune in to all the ways you are similar,” she says. “And thus, you can adopt the same fitness and wellness behaviors.”
Put This Into Practice: Find Your Trainer
This one is a bit more straightforward: find a trainer you vibe with! This is why it’s important to give yourself access to a variety of trainers (we’re guessing that’s one of the reasons why you’re here!). Finding one who resonates with you on some level — whether they look like you, exude a similar energy, have the same sense of humor, or just “click” — will help you stay motivated, according to Dr. Perlus.
Try taking a few classes with your favorite trainer in the FitOn App, and maybe following them on social media accounts for more inspiration even when you’re not breaking a sweat!
Here are some workouts with various FitOn trainers to help get you inspired:
- Heavy HIITer with Kenta Seki
- Mini AMRAP Break with Danielle Pascente
- Low Impact Pilates with Jeni DelPozo
#3 Accountability
Maybe you’ve heard this one before, but it bears repeating. “We can be our greatest ally or our worst enemy,” says Dr. Perlus. This is why we often hear the phrase ‘it takes a village.’
“It is too easy to justify all the reasons why you can’t (or don’t need) to follow through on this training session, that healthy meal, early bedtime, etc.,” says Dr. Perlus. “Be your greatest ally by having an accountability partner. Be sure the person you choose cares about you, believes in you, wants you to succeed, and will hold you accountable when you don’t. When you say I wanted to, but… they will say the truth is….”
“For example, when you say you wanted to exercise after work, but you were too tired, your accountability partner will say, ‘The truth is you were sitting at your computer all day resting your body. The truth is, your body is ready for some good stress and exercise helps to give your mind and emotions recovery.’” This concept of accountability applies to any area of motivation in your life! And similar to above, it’s great to find an accountability partner who shares a common goal. Whether it’s holding each other accountable to make healthy homemade recipes, press play on that FitOn workout, or meet and meditate together, if you share a common goal, it can help you feel supported while also helping you to stay motivated and committed.
Put This Into Practice: Find Your Workout Buddy
Another one you can get into right now: grab a workout buddy. Whether you’re working out together in the same place, virtually timing your workouts together, or following a similar program on your own schedules, this can help hold you to your goals, and motivate you.
Have a friend or family member who is also looking to regain fitness motivation and tackle new goals? Invite them to join FitOn and keep each other motivated and accountable! And, inviting friends to FitOn is easy! By going to the friends tab in the app, you can select friends from your contacts and send them an invite.
Finally, you can also start a program or challenge! This is another form of accountability and may give you a surge of inspiration and motivation needed for blast off. You can browse the challenges in the FitOn app or even start your own with friends and family!
You can also join our 14-Day Motivation Challenge! Enlist a friend (hello, accountability partner) for double the motivation.
How to Regain Healthy Eating Motivation
And now, what do these tactics look like when we apply them to healthy eating motivation? Since very few of us are motivated to eat a salad without some sort of prompting, let’s get to practical application…
#1 Mastery Experiences: Reflect on Your Habits
If this journey is brand new to you, start by loosely tracking your current meals; no judgment, just observation. Rather than count calories or macros, jot down the types of foods you’re eating (for example, cereal with sliced banana). Reflect on how these types of foods make you feel physically and emotionally. You can also count colors! Keep track of how many different colors you eat per day (think: orange sweet potatoes or persimmons, purple eggplant or grapes). This is a great place to start on your healthy eating journey, and this mindful approach can inspire you to dig deeper and find what works best for you.
- When did you feel great, and what were you eating?
- What were some of your favorite healthy foods?
- What was your daily routine like during this time period?
- Who did you surround yourself with?
- Were you getting adequate rest?
(And, if you’re ready to keep that ball rolling, you can get a customized meal plan with FitOn PRO!)
Jot down all the areas in which you can remember, and compare it to your current routine. Where are your setbacks? What healthy lifestyle swaps can you add in? Remember, this is coming from a place of self-love and admiration, not comparison!
#2 Social Modeling: Follow the Experts
For this one, look to FitOn trainers, dietitians, health coaches, or recipe developers who share healthy recipes that resonate with you — think: the stuff you already like to eat, but healthified. Perhaps they create cultural dishes you connect with, in a way that lends itself to more nutritionally-optimized meals. Maybe they’re also a mom of twins, an athlete, a night-shift nurse, or someone that shares your lineage — this would make it even better. The more you can identify with the expert, the better.
We have a variety of Nutrition-inspired courses led by FitOn experts, such as: The Ultimate Sugar Reset with Whitney English and Heart-Healthy Weight Loss with Dr. Spencer Nadolsky.
#3 Accountability: Choose a Healthy Eating Partner
Is there someone in your life who also wants to kick start some healthier habits? Or maybe that one friend who is already eating well and thriving? Connect with them. This is yet another opportunity to use human connection and emotional support to bolster your health efforts and gain or regain motivation.
RELATED: The Ultimate Guide To Healthy Eating
Don’t Wait For Motivation… Make It Happen
Finally, understand that motivation won’t magically appear like Glinda in the Wizard of Oz. That strike of lightning you’re waiting for isn’t coming; you have to make this happen for yourself! Waiting to feel organically motivated — particularly after a long, sedentary period — will only prolong the amount of time you take to begin again.
Using these core principles, you can force motivation into your life — something that is often necessary! We all know the phrase ‘Be the change you want to see in the world,” … but what if you decided to be the change you wanted to see in your life?
Are you ready for life to be different? You have the tools. You have the strength. You have the support (from us!). Now you know how to regain motivation, make it happen.
