10 Tips to Stay Motivated for Your Workouts

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We all have those days where we don't want to exercise and the days where when we do make it to the gym our workouts are awful. It's okay - that's life! This is a lifestyle and we completely believe in the 80/20 rule with everything (it's how we've maintained this healthy lifestyle for over 5 years)! With that being said, we wanted to share some of our tips so that you can get the most out of your workouts!

Tips to Get Yourself to the Gym & Stay Motivated Once You Get There!

1. Schedule your workouts like you would a doctor's appointment - and keep them. At the beginning of the week take a few minutes to write down your schedule and your workouts. Remember to take at least 1-2 rest days per week. If you can't make a workout you have scheduled, don't beat yourself up about it. You can still remain active and do a short workout at home!
2. Have a workout plan! There's nothing worse than spending an hour on a cardio machine and then moving up and down the aisles of machines without a clear plan. I see it all the time in the gym! If you want to succeed with your fitness goals, you need a clear plan. Try one of ours - we have 4 week plans and 12 week plans. We even have plans just for runners! All of our plans outline exactly what to do each day (how many reps, sets, etc). You will reach your goals much faster with a plan!
3. Workout when you can. The best time of day to workout is whatever time you will do it! You will read articles about why morning workouts are better or why evening workouts are better but really the best time to workout is whatever time you can. It would be best to try and keep the same time each day but life happens!
4. Make it a habit. Believe me, I was not an athlete growing up (besides rec league cheering and softball) so I don't come from a background in sports but I actually like the gym now. I never thought I would say that! It might be hard for you at first but just keep going and stick to your plan until it becomes a habit!
5. Don't be afraid to mix up your days. On the days when you are really just dragging in the gym do the workout that you like the most. For example, my favorite is leg day so if I'm not feeling the gym that day I'll do legs because I like that workout. If I have to drag myself to the gym and put myself through a workout that I don't even like it won't be pretty! Do your least favorite workout on the days when you are feeling your best. It's okay to swap out days, just make sure that you are taking at least 2 rest days before you work that body part again and at least 1 full rest day per week.
6. Start playing your favorite playlist before your workout. Gear your mind up for the gym by listening to your playlist while getting ready for the gym. It will pump you up before you even get there! 
7. Complete all reps on each side before switching. Using this trick will make you finish all reps. For example, if you need to do 12 step-ups on each leg, complete 12 step-ups on the right leg before moving onto the left leg. If you try to do 6 and 6, and 6 and 6 again, you will probably quit after the first 6!
8. Find a workout that you like! There's nothing worse than going to the gym and dreading what you do. Of course, there are things that we think everyone should incorporate into their workouts like weights, cardio, and flexibility training but you can be creative with how you do these types of training. Don't like the treadmill? That's fine! Take a class as your cardio! Try one of our challenges and give one of our workouts a try. ;-)
9. Be flexible! Is your equipment taken? Try to do something in its place or skip it and come back to it at a later time. Don't get frustrated - there are alternates for almost everything! Instead of a barbell use dumbbells, bands, etc.
10. Stay motivated. This is hard, right? The title of this is 10 tips to stay motivated but one of the tips is to stay motivated! Yes, we meant to do that. You must find ways to stay motivated. We want you to become your own motivation instead of constantly searching for outside motivation. It's easier said than done but there are a few things you can do to make this happen. Record your workouts (again, our workout plans have a place for you to record everything!) so you can see how much stronger you are getting! Even if you can't tell a difference in a mirror, seeing how you improve in your workouts is a great motivator. Try to avoid using others looks as motivation because you could easily fall into a comparison trap (this post on 5 Reasons You Aren't Achieving Your Dream Body may help!).

We hope these tips help you reach your goals. Always remember, progress is progress - no matter how slow. Never give up!

5 Things We Have Done to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle for 5+ Years

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We've been there before. We've been tired, stressed, and frustrated. You just have to take the first step. Then keep taking steps. They add up. You can transform your life. We did. We lost over 30 pounds; Scott went from waist size of 38" to 32" and I went from a size 10 to a size 2/4 (I was a size 2 but am now a size 4 - you can read more about that here.).

When we were packing for our trip to Jackson Hole this year it really hit me...I have ski pants (one pair because I don't ski often!) that I've been able to pack for four years. I don't even try them on, I just pack them. They are pants I only wear once a year but they always fit. Always. I don't worry if they will fit or not. That is an amazing feeling. You can experience this feeling too! Stop yo-yo dieting and starting living a healthy lifestyle all year long!

5 Things We Have Done to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle for 5+ Years

1. We are consistent, not perfect.

We are always physically active even if our workouts are not always perfect. For example, some days I'll go in the gym to do an upper body workout from our She Sweats Workout Plan but I'll end up doing legs. Sometimes I don't even do anything that I had in mind. Sometimes the gym is just there for us to go to and keep up the habit. I don't always kill my workouts. I rarely ever walk out dripping in sweat. But we go - to keep the habit - to be consistent.

We also make time for food prep. Sometimes we make every single thing we need and have a huge spread of food covering our counter and sometimes we only make a few things just to get by for a few days. However, we never skip food prep - even if that means buying rotisserie chicken and making a big batch of sweet potatoes to go with it for a few meals. Honestly, we feel like making time to prep healthy food is more important than going to the gym. 

The habit of the habit is more important than the habit itself.

2. We have hobbies that keep us active.

Our workouts are not always in the gym. Any chance we get we climb mountains. Not only is hiking a good cardio workout but it's also a much needed mental break as we prefer places that have no cell service. We also have tennis rackets (notice I didn't say "play" but we do goof off with it...Scott calls it "Whitness" because I make up my own rules) and Scott skis and plays golf. Find something that you enjoy! Remember, health and fitness is not "one size fits all" - just because your best friend lost 20 pounds and loves to run doesn't mean that you will have the same success or enjoy it!

3. We think of this as a lifestyle and not a diet.

This isn't - and has never been - a diet for us. We live this way because it keeps us healthy and able to do all of the activities we enjoy. We don't train for competitions or photo shoots. We don't train for a half marathon and then quit everything. We just live this way to feel our best. There really is no other option.

4. We do not deprive ourselves.

If we want a piece of pizza or ice cream - we eat it. We don't eat it every day or even every week but we also don't really have many things that are "off limits". We do try to get the best version of whatever we are craving - bakery items made without high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, etc and we make a lot of our own treats (have you tried our cookie dough?!). We know our limits and we don't keep junk in the house, when we indulge it is outside of the house.

5. We do not follow and/or worship "fitness celebrities".

We live our own lives. We don't often scroll through social media to "be inspired" (this usually leads to comparison which isn't good for body image). Again, this is a habit for us so we just do it. It's fine to be inspired and motivated by others but you also have to find motivation within. This WILL take time for you to do and there will still be days that you don't want to do anything but that habit will keep you going. Work on building your good habits!

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Healthy Is Not "One Size Fits All"

This is something that I posted a few months ago in our FREE Healthy Living Challenge group but wanted to share it here as well. Honestly this is just a few rants from me. :-)

As we've mentioned many times previously, what works for one person might not work for you. What works for you this year might not work for you next year. Our bodies are always changing and we need to be flexible and learn to listen to our bodies. For example, some people might feel better with higher carbs and less fat and some people might feel better with lower carbs and higher fat. One isn't better than the other and one isn't "wrong"! Maybe your best friend did lose 20 pounds by cutting out carbs and instead started eating coconut oil, peanut butter, and bacon with each meal but if you tried the same thing you would end up eating an entire jar of peanut butter instead of one tablespoon. What do you think would be better? That you continue to eat a balanced diet, even if it is more carbs than her, or try to force yourself to eat the same way she does, knowing that you will over-indulge in those foods? Being healthy and fit is NOT one size fits all. You have to take the time to find out what works for you (be patient, this can be a long process!).

I also see way too often that people get hung up on "being perfect" or "being holistic" that they just give up and don't do anything. How does that make sense? You wanted to be perfect and/or holistic but you couldn't so you just gave up? Make small changes that add up over time to a HEALTHY lifestyle change...notice I didn't say perfect. As we mentioned in our Getting Started with Clean Eating post, we changed everything "overnight" but if you can't do that - that's okay! Just get started!

Keep in mind that you will be able to find anything you want online...on both sides of everything. Every day something new will kill you if you eat it - according to someone. YOU must find balance and find what works for YOU. This takes TIME. If it sounds good to be true it probably is. Only eat bananas all day, no fats, no carbs, only eat grapefruit, no protein? Seriously?! Just eat a balanced diet of HEALTHY food and LIVE YOUR LIFE. Don't get so hung up on every single detail. The details will ultimately drive you crazy.

Am I as lean as I once was? Nope. My priorities have changed - I now spend more time coaching others and I'm being pulled in a million different directions all the time. Is this an excuse? Not in my mind because I'm still in the gym 4-6 days a week and I still eat healthy and I AM STILL HEALTHY. Being lean doesn't equal being healthy. It takes A LOT of focus, time, and energy to be super lean. Honestly, I think the reason I've been successful is because I've been on this "fitness journey" for almost 4 years now and I've never tried to get a "bikini body". I did do a photo shoot but that wasn't my main motivator, I just wanted a healthy lifestyle - one where I could travel and hike and do all the things I love to the best of my ability. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a "bikini body" or whatever your goal is but there HAS TO BE SOMETHING MORE! There has to be something else driving you. What happens after you work for 3 months just to walk around in a bikini during the summer? What happens in the fall? You just go back to your old habits until March rolls around again? Is this the position you are in right now?

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