Well, here we are in Lockdown 2.0, and with the shorter days, many people are finding it harder to stay motivated this time round. It can feel like you’re trying to cram everything in to day light hours; and whether you’re working from home, home-schooling or just trying to get by, sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day.
If you are looking for ways how to stay motivated during lockdown, be it to continue your fitness journey, stay on track with your weightloss or muscle gain, to practice more self-care, or to lift your spirits, we’ve put together three tips to keep your motivation strong during lockdown.
Remember this is not permanent
Whatever your views on lockdown, it’s important to remember that this is not permanent.
Whilst we have to adapt to lockdown life, we will see the other side of it. We are bombarded with images and clips of people achieving huge amounts in lockdown; this is not normal.
Most of us are just trying to get by, cope emotionally, and live our normal lives. Lockdown presents a challenge by taking us away from our routines, so try to keep to a new schedule. Where you would have come to the gym, use that time to exercise from home, to plan your shopping and meals, or to practice some self-care.
We will open Energise Pentney Fitness and Spa again; life will return to a more normal reality. But until then, be kind to yourself, and stay positive.
Small goals lead to big results
Reward your wins
Take progress photos
Whether you want to share them or keep them for yourself, taking progress photos is one of the greatest motivation tools. Often you feel like you haven’t made any progress, but take a glance back at how far you’ve come and you’ll remember why you started. Comparing them side by side can be powerful too. Lots of our members start specific accounts on apps like Instagram, where they can post them and use privacy settings to control who can see them. This means you can create an online diary to look back on easily when you need a boost of motivation. Using hashtags such as #myweightlossjourney, #myfitnessjourney or #selfcare, means other people can view your posts when searching for the same terms (important: this will only work when your privacy settings are open), which can often lead to building new support networks with people on a similar journey to you. Remember, good mental and physical health is a marathon, not a sprint - don’t be fooled by instant results and many of the images people chose to project. Some of our favourite Instagram accounts for a healthy dose of reality include @eribodysbeautiful, @fitfatandallthat (TW eating disorder coach) and @tallyrye. Let us know who you like following!
Get support; be kind to yourself
Reach out to friends and family for support; not just to offer it, but to receive it too. Sometimes we’re so busy checking others are ok, that we forget to look after ourselves. You can also find communities online, through forums or on apps like Reddit, if you don’t want to share directly with people you know. The important thing is that you reach out; do not struggle alone.
Let us know if you try any of these tips to stay motivated during lockdown; and we’d love to hear your recommendations too! You can find us on Instagram @energisepentney, and Facebook.
