How I Stay Motivated

Getting in shape is hard.  It takes a LOT of self-discipline and self-control.  It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to even see the slightest results.  Nothing is more frustrating than hopping on a scale after you feel like you have made some major progress to only see that number has increased...All things that I have dealt with to get to where I am today.

But you know what?  Getting there is one thing, but staying there is even harder!  I tell people all the time, it takes forever to see results, but it doesn't take much to lose it all if you don't keep up with it.  That is why I have devised a "plan" that helps to keep me on track and to keep me motivated each and every day.  These may seem like minute details to some, but to me, it's the difference between maintaining my fitness and plunging head first into a downward spiral.

Coming from being a previously chubby girl, I know that my self control is slim, so I have to work hard  every.single.day on that.  This is what I do to help me stay on the right path:

1.)  I lay out my workout clothes the night before.  Everything from my socks and shoes to my ponytail holder and head band.  Sometimes I even sleep in my shorts and top if I know that it is going to be extremely difficult to crawl out of bed after a late night!

2.)  I set out everything I eat/vitamins I take in the morning, the night before.  It makes it so simple to just head downstairs in the morning knowing that I won't be scrambling around, trying to rush my breakfast when I know I should be spending that time working out!

3.)  I set alarms on my phone, notifying me of how long I have to do my morning routine so I stay on track.  For instance, my first alarm (my wake-up alarm) goes off at 5:50 a.m.  My next alarm (my getting ready alarm) goes off at 6:05 a.m.  That means from the time my first alarm goes off until the second, I only have 15 minutes to get ready.  Then my third alarm (my breakfast alarm) goes off at 6:25 a.m. That means I have 20 minutes to eat my breakfast before I have to be downstairs starting my workout.  It may seem tedious, but it seriously holds me accountable!

4.)  I have old pictures of myself hanging beside the treadmill and elliptical so I see who I was every  single day, pushing and motivating me to never go back down that unhappy, dark road I was on...

5.)  I take "selfies" almost every day.  No, I'm not superficial, although there is that one time out of ten that I think that I look pretty dang good and then it is just being superficial, ha!  But I do that so I can look back and see the changes that I am making in my body.  I have broken up with my scale, so I don't know where my "number" is these days (it's been almost a full month since I've stepped on one!) but the best way to judge where you are is by how your clothes fit.  And let me tell you...the camera does not hide anything!  It is my biggest critic, and I rely on those "selfies" to judge my progress.

6.)  I allow myself to have cheat days...like almost every weekend...whoops!  But, if I don't have those days to look forward to, then I will easily get stuck in a rut and possibly start reversing what I worked so hard to attain.  Those days give me something to work towards.  I mean wouldn't you work a lot harder during the week if you knew there was going to be a huge reward at the end??  To me, my motivation is a big 'ol bowl of ice cream or a shake...that's what does it for me ;)

7.)  And lastly, instagram.  (follow me @jennaschaben) No joke.  It may sound ridiculous, but who doesn't love to be complimented?  That is one of my biggest motivators of all.  By posting a picture of my weights, my meals, or family pics, and having people "like" the pic and then comment, holds me accountable.  I cherish every single comment and "like" and not a single one goes unnoticed.

What do you do to stay motivated?  What or who holds you accountable?  I'm always looking for new motivation, so throw 'em at me!!

Until next time...