The first month of 2023 is behind us so it’s time to have a check in!
Are you still using that gym membership you signed up to on the 1st of January?
Are your new trainers you bought in the boxing day sales starting to wear or are they sparkling new in the shoebox?
Or were you able to track your food consistently for the first week of January and you haven’t opened the app up since?
Whether you gave calorie counting a go or if you managed to give a few gym classes a try, don’t feel alone in feeling like you’ve fallen off course. Everyone who is human and on a fitness journey can lose focus or motivation at some point along the way. What is important is looking at making progress ahead rather than dwelling on any missed gym sessions or swerving the past few week’s of food diary entries.
This blog post is perfect if you’re looking for tips and tricks to get back into a routine and if you’re in search of some motivation. So take a deep breath, take a moment to yourself, and let’s focus on getting you back on track.
- Is it time to wake up from your current sleep routine?
I know how tempting it can be to stay up late watching those couple of Love Island episodes you’ve missed, but set yourself a bedtime routine in your week. It doesn’t have to be militant but you should look to form a loose structure when hitting the pillow.
If you want to wind down to bed like a winner then you can start by taking simple changes in your lifestyle to help you get more zzz’s:
- Reduce your caffeine intake: if you find yourself wide eyed at night then it could be an influence from drinking caffeinated drinks earlier in the day such as your post-lunch cuppa or your afternoon coffee fix. Make a swap for your afternoon cup of tea to a decaf option – they still taste great I promise! If you need coffee for energy, due to a dip in energy after lunch then this is something we must discuss in another blog post.
- Put your phone out of reach: our phones have become part of everyday life and it can be really hard to switch off at night. Scrolling through TikTok videos of miniature dachshunds, doing dances before you go to sleep will keep you mind active and will prevent you from falling to sleep. Put your phone away in your handbag or even in a separate room, to stop the temptation of reaching for your device. If you’re worried about relying on your phone for an alarm clock, then you should invest in an alarm clock to go by your bedside that will do just the same job! My Lummi Lamp has replaced my awful iPhone alarm sound since 2019 now and it’s a game changer. (Here is the one I use)
- Invest in comfortable bedding: there’s nothing worse than tossing and turning in bed, and contemplating if you’d be better off sleeping on the sofa. Whether you prefer satin sheets (fancy) to cotton, memory foam to super firm mattresses or it could be down to what fabric conditioner you use to wash your sheets, invest in some quality bedding to help you get to sleep.
- Mix things up in the bedroom: if you’re able to switch the layout in the bedroom, then now is the chance to release your inner interior designer. Your bed might be close to a window which can disturb you early in the morning if there are building sites or roadworks, so try and move your bed away from any windows or doors that might not block out noise. Alternatively, you can always buy a cheap (and reliable!) set of ear plugs to cancel out any external noises and any snoring partners!
Why would sleep affect my progress?
Don’t underestimate how lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep can impact your fitness journey. When you’re not getting the right amount of sleep the body releases stress hormones that have an influence on your appetite which makes those sugary snacks in the kitchen at work more tempting!
Not only does lack of sleep affect your appetite and metabolism, but it can also have an influence on how you perform in the gym. It’s simple maths, little sleep equals little energy. You might even find yourself hitting the snooze button more than you would hit a PB!
And most importantly, if you do make it to the gym on a poor night’s sleep you’re putting yourself at risk of losing concentration during your workout, and you could even result in injuring yourself on the gym floor which would set you back even more.
2. How to monitor your progress and still feel motivated!
You’ve done the food tracking, you’ve pushed yourself to the limits for the past two weeks of workouts and yet you’re stepping on scales and still aren’t seeing the numbers change.
My advice: ditch the scales.
While scales have been used for many years to measure weight loss, it doesn’t take factors into account such as muscle development, water retention, your body fat, hormones, whether or not you’ve been to the toilet…all the scales can give you is a number. And it’s not even an accurate number at that.
Scales do not define your fitness journey. Hide the scales away from your reach and look to other ways to monitor your progress. Here’s some great ways to track your journey and still keep motivated and proud of your achievements.
- How you feel: I’m putting this at the top of the list because I think it’s the most important. Don’t undervalue your feelings on your journey. Keep a journal or a diary and write in it daily. Jot down any workouts you enjoyed and walked away feeling accomplished and note down when you were having bad days and not-so-great workouts. You may see a pattern in your diary, your attitude might shift completely on your journey and you may not even recognise the first couple of diary entries in months to come.
- Before and after photos: don’t think that personal trainers take before and after pics for their own personal benefit. They also take before and after photos because the scales can’t give you that visual comparison. When you’re taking your before and after pictures my advice would be to take the picture at the same time of day each time, stand in the exact same spot and if possible wear the same clothes in each picture.
- Clothes fitting: You don’t need to invest in some fancy machine to tell you that your body is changing shape – you should start to notice some differences starting in your wardrobe! Your clothes may no longer start to fit you, and this is completely dependent on your goal on whether clothes begin to feel too loose or too tight…either way it’s a sign that all of your hard work is paying off!
- Use Visualisations: If you think you’ve only shifted one pound of body fat in two weeks it might not seem a lot – but what if I handed you a guinea pig and said ‘you’ve lost one guinea pig worth of excess body fat in two weeks’ I can guarantee your jaw would drop. Try and use objects to represent how much fat you have lost or even how much muscle you have gained.
3. Eat smart to keep you fuller for longer
Are you still struggling to break eating habits such as snacking excessively and craving sugary snacks or stodgy carbs? There’s no need to go searching for some magic pill that can cure hunger, you can just look to up your protein intake.
Simply put, protein takes longer to digest than carbohydrates which is why they suppress your appetite. If a small bowl of porridge for breakfast is making you hungry by your 9.30am meeting, then look to add a scoop of protein powder in there and see how much of a difference it can make to your appetite.
You don’t need to invest in some expensive protein bars to hit your protein goal, here’s a list where can find affordable and high protein:
- Eggs: Is your salad at lunch lacking some good sources of protein? Add a couple of boiled eggs into your lunch box. Alternatively, you can bulk out your breakfast by making eggs on toast (a classic) or an omelette where you can add some leafy greens on the side.
- Yoghurt: Greek yoghurts are generally inexpensive and are packed with protein and you can add some berries or fruit to add more flavour to it and keep it healthy and filling!
- Fish, meat and meat alternatives: Always look to base your meals around a source of protein such as, lean meat like chicken, or opt for fish, or if you’re veggie or vegan there is protein in plant-based foods like tofu and tempeh.
- Cheese: Don’t go overboard with the cheese but a small amount (20-30 grams) shouldn’t put too much of a dent in your daily calorie intake and will still provide you with protein. Add cheeses such as feta, ricotta, quark and soft cheeses to your shopping trolley to have some protein to hand.
4. Don’t forget to keep active throughout the day
Finally, do you smash your workout first thing in the morning and take yourself back to bed with Netflix for the rest of the day as a reward? This could be hindering your progress. You may be hitting your goals at the gym but you’ve got to be mindful of keeping active throughout the rest of the day.
This doesn’t mean you have to do jumping jacks while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil (but please be my guest if you want to). You should still be looking to make swaps to make sure you’re not sedentary for the rest of the day. You should search for the stairs rather than the elevator or escalator in stores, or go for a lunchtime walk rather than spending the rest of your break scrolling on the phone. It’s these small and simple changes throughout the day that will help you along your fitness journey.
Keeping up your active level, will help your overall step goal, which in turns helps you burn more calories. So don’t underestimate the importance of staying active 7 days a week.
I hope this month’s blog has given you some inspiration on how to keep motivated throughout your fitness journey. You can bookmark, screenshot or save this page for you to visit for a time when that tiny voice in your head is telling you to give up, you can open this blog post up again to banish it away!
For Personal Training Enquires contact me here & I’ll be in touch<3
