When I wake up, I think of dynamic ways to add color to my day for a renewed motivation. I keep almost the same schedule with the same spot for work but create a different story each day. As a fitness and lifestyle coach, I pause, breathe and think about the good things life is offering me right in front of my eyes before greeting my husband and meeting someone or a group of people online. I then put myself in others’ situations to empathize, relate and connect with them and give my contagious energy for reliable delivery of my tasks. 

I know it’s hard to wake up early in the morning and workout inside the house, giving all you got for an exercise session, with various thoughts like “Here we go again, push-ups, squats, plank!”

If you can restructure your thoughts positively, everything will feel so good before, during, and after any activity you pursue.

I have encountered these learnings and realizations from my own experience and stories of all the people I got to connect with online for the whole year when it comes to fitness and lifestyle management. Let me share some of the most critical insights that can help lessen your load and power you to have an improved lifestyle and healthier outlook this 2022.

Your opportunity to focus and be creative can lead you to a deeper level of motivation

• Reset your mindset and goals everyday with positivity. Regularly assess your behavior and re-evaluate your progress. Don’t stress yourself too much with a perfectionist attitude. Be flexible and always learn to modify. Consider slips or lapses like having a slice of cake or missing an exercise session as opportunities to create a more effective lifestyle game plan instead of getting discouraged.
• Focus on your current strengths, improvements that happened and goals that you’ve achieved, rather than your shortcomings. It is more important to celebrate success in creating a positive lifestyle habit like exercising at home and eating healthier foods than focusing on the numbers you see on the scale.
• Recognize that you are in control. You always have that freedom to decide on things that can benefit your mind and body. Instead of following a restrictive diet, create a unique healthy eating plan that can match your food preferences, fitness goals and lifestyle. This will empower you to stay consistent in the journey while keeping your motivation.
• Don’t stop learning. Continue to grow. Listen to podcasts, audiobooks, recorded videos of conferences about self-growth and your career while cooking, running or doing household chores.
• In everything that you do, always have a deeper purpose. Believe in yourself. If you want something, work hard for it, as long you have good intentions. You want to stay healthy and strong to give more and help more people around you.

Beyond fitness, realize the strong impact of social connections to your overall well-being

• Connect with others like joining online groups and chats that can uplift your moods and motivation. Joining fitness online classes gives you a great feeling of belongingness and knowing that you are trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle with like-minded people.
• Now is the time to focus on people who can directly or indirectly uplift your mind, body, and spirit. Instead of comparing yourself with others, get strength and inspiration from them. If others can, why can’t you? Follow and be inspired by positive people.
• Share your achievements by being an inspiration to others. Don’t be ashamed to tell your stories like how you transformed your lifestyle. At the same time, be open to changes, new insights and learnings from others that will help you grow.

Your environment plays a significant role in health and weight management

• Realize that willpower is not enough. You need to physically prepare your environment so you can eat healthy foods and exercise more. Learn how to cook your own meals, know where to buy healthy foods, learn healthy recipes.
• Create a space that can always excite you to wake up in the morning and workout. Prepare your workout clothes the night before. Call your friends and have a fun workout together even while doing online classes.

Your relationship with others can greatly affect the outcome of your fitness endeavor

• To successfully pursue your new lifestyle and fitness routine regularly, openly discuss individual concerns at home. Discuss the importance of teamwork and how each one’s schedule in your house affects the whole family.
• Be a role model because your actions affect all the  people around you. Your kids can see it when you workout, when you eat healthy, when you prioritize your sleep.
• Communicate openly to your loved ones. Have the courage to tell them how it affects your feelings and momentum when someone sabotages your goals at night, like buying a pint of ice cream or chips. 
• Express your positive emotions to reinforce lifestyle changes. Tell someone how good it feels you do things together like sleep on time or workout together. 

Email the author at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @mitchfelipemendoza