The single most important piece of advice I have to offer is to set goals and create habits.
Sure the first few times you need to weigh out your food in order to track your calories well…. sucks. But keep doing it. Force yourself into the habit of every single time you consume something, track it using a tool such as MyFitnessPal. You don’t just not shower for a week because you “don’t feel like doing it” or it “takes too much time”, do you?
Making yourself get off the couch and into the gym is, in my opinion, the hardest part.
Telling yourself “I’ll go to the gym when I feel like it” isn’t a habit, it’s a recipe for failure. Set a realistic, obtainable goal for yourself for what physical activity you are going to do, and what frequency you are going to do it. When I first started going to the gym, I promised myself 3 days a week. Whatever days I wanted. Even that would get pushed off and I’d have to do all 3 days in a row at the end of the week. Over time, I’ve developed a habit that works around my schedule.
My training goes as such:
Monday: Lower body
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Upper body
Friday: Lower body
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Upper body
This is my routine, my habit. I don’t skip a day because “I’m a little tired” or “I’m a little under the weather”. To me this routine has the same level of importance as going to work. It’s ingrained into my schedule now, and the circumstances for me to miss the gym have to be quite serious.
There are plenty of other healthy habits that you can fall into.
For those short on time, doing a large weekly meal prep on Sunday is an excellent habit to adopt.
Taking a mile walk every day / every few days.
Ensuring that you go to bed early so you have energy for the next day.
Not keeping unhealthy food in the house.
And I’m sure a hundred other things that I can’t think of right now.
Remember, the most important thing is to stick to your healthy habits.
I used to hate dragging myself to the gym, but now it’s part of my every day life. Now I hate myself if I miss a day! The same goes for overeating. I used to absolutely hate dieting, but now I hate the feeling of being too full, heavy, bloated and straying away from my goals. Once a habit is built into your routine, you’ll go from dreading it to dreading not doing it. Just try to focus on all the positive benefits that can motivate you towards your goals.