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Here's 9 ways to stay focused on your fitness goal!
19 February 2015
| Last updated on 27 July 2017
We get it, life these days is crazy-hectic. And when you're stressed and time-pressed, one of the first things to go out the window is your weight-loss plan. Who has time to cook healthy food or make it to the gym when there's just so much to take care of every day? Take a deep breath, relax, and read our brilliantly easy ways to stick to your healthy lifestyle plan.
De-Junk Your Fridge
Freedom from a cluttered fridge!
A great way to start get your routine started is to go through your cabinets and fridge and get rid of (or give away) all your sugary snacks, dairy, processed chips, crackers, frozen treats, fruit juices(anything in a carton) and fizzy drinks and any other junk food items. These are the things you reach for when you're busy, pressured and pressed for time (also known as “Hungry!”) – so get them out!
Put Healthy Food at Eye Level
After you've de-cluttered your kitchen, its time to replace with a good stock of healthy foods and snacks, and put them right in your line of sight so you see them and reach for them first.
To get yourself into healthy habits, load the shelves of your fridge carefully. Eye level shelf should be filled with fruits and berries, smoothie prep-mix, chopped crudities and plenty of Tupperware boxes of pre-prepped healthy meals and snacks (we will talk more on this) and the lower shelves can be space to store homemade soups, ready to eat instant brown rice, quinoa, cold cuts and portions of lean meat and fish.
Schedule Your Workouts and Record Your Progress
Busy people are never far from their diary or smart- phone planner. Get ready to take up this habit if you haven’t already! Scheduling in your workouts at OP Integrated Lifestyle Centre can help you stick to your diet goals.
A recommended minimum of 3 workouts per week will help guarantee your results and stay on track.
Make Big Batches
Seriously, even the busiest CEO or new mom can find a few hours on Saturday afternoon or evening and put together a large healthy meal in advance that can serve as lunch or dinner through the week. Make a big batch of your favorite soup, a family size omelet or frittata, a big pot of wild rice or quinoa or a large tray of your favorite veggies, then portion them up into meal sized Tupperware boxes.
Grill off some chicken or lean meat skewers that are easy to sort into portions. A handy tip is to cut your meat or fish into the sizes before cooking to keep the pre-portioning mess free.
When you’ve got an appetizing and filling meal with you, you aren’t going to be tempted by a sandwich at Costa or a pit-stop at the drive thru.
Don't Rely on Sugar and Caffeine
When we're stressed and time pressed, we tend to turn to stimulants like coffee and sugary treats for an energy surge. After the initial jolt, both of these wear off and can leave you more tired and with big cravings!
Making a goal to detox yourself from caffeine and sugar is a very good decision to make. Re-training your brain to find these things as a “little pleasure every now and again” rather than an absolute necessity will really help.
If permanent habit change is your biggest challenge, try some NLP coaching to help you keep your mind in check to support your goals – Bad Habits Be GONE!
Listen To Motivating Music and Motivational Speakers.
There is always time to listen to something that makes you feel positive and upbeat. You can turn down the hum drum and everyday noise by powering up with your favourite sound track or playlist.
Rid your life of monotonous radio adverts or TV commercials and instead use the time to listen to a motivating podcast or lecture instead. Keeping up to date and expanding your knowledge on health, nutrition, wellbeing and mindset is a great use of your time and a fantastic way to stay motivated. So tune in and stay uplifted and focused on your goals and what’s important.
Find an Exercise Partner
Finding a partner to hit the gym with regularly helps you feel accountable and motivated. You're less likely to ditch if you know someone is expect ing you to be at the gym at a certain time!
Keep Your Gym Gear by the Front Door
Or in your car, or at your desk at work. If your workout clothes and shoes are always on-hand or in the same easy-to-find spot, you can't blow off a workout with the excuse that your gym clothes are missing or you can't find your running shoes!
Shake It and Shrink It!
This is a smart strategy for ladies on a tight schedule. It’s just too easy to get too busy and either forget to eat entirely or gorge on bad foods once the hunger pangs kick in. So the best thing to do is get your hunger under control and stay well hydrated with lots of water and a good protein shake.
