Motivation Monday: Habit Keeps You Going

Credit: FitSugar
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going"
- Jim Ryun

Did you make a fitness resolution this year? I like to use the new year as a marker in time to start healthy habits. It's easy to use the new year to motivate yourself to take that fitness class or go on that run. But it's building it into your schedule and integrating it into your lifestyle that will determine whether you can stick with it.

When I first started taking my health seriously, it was a bit of a chore to figure out which days I could work out, which days I wanted to go to happy hour and when I could meet up for dinner with friends. At first, it was easier to say no to happy hour and dinner because I was really motivated to stick with my workout schedule. But as time passed, the excuses started. A happy hour one day, a few dinners out and before I knew it, it'd been a week or two since my last workout. This vicious cycle lasted for some time before I figured out what worked for me.

Now, working out is built into my schedule. I have "must" work out days and "optional" work out days. This way, I can meet up with my friends on my "optional" days and switch it up every so often so I never  have to say, "I can only meet on Tuesday". It takes a little more planning but it's nothing a quick note on your calendar or scheduling app can't help you solve. A few minutes of planning will help you stay on track longer, evolving that new year motivation into your lifestyle HABIT.

Jenny


* Motivation Monday is an ongoing series on Dash to Finish.

What is Motivation Monday?
Let’s face it, we’ve all be there…er…here. Maybe it started with happy hour last Friday, a birthday party on Saturday, brunch on Sunday or maybe it didn’t start at all because the indulging never ended. You tell yourself, “Next week is the week I start”, “Next week, I’ll start eating this”, or “Next week, I’ll stop eating that”. We provide ourselves plenty of excuses and justifications. For me, Monday is my re-set button. No matter what I did or didn’t do last week or over the weekend, Monday marks a new week for me to be and do better than the previous.


But let’s face it, Mondays have enough challenges without the added pressure of getting to the gym or eating that homemade lunch you still haven’t made. To help, I am starting Motivation Mondays. A little push in the right direction, a reminder to get to the gym and skip that 2nd donut.