Being stuck in a rut can feel like a waiting game…
Waiting to go to the gym till tomorrow because you’re so busy today. Waiting to make yourself that healthy breakfast on the weekdays because you just don’t have time in the morning for anything more than coffee and a cereal bar. Waiting, waiting and more waiting.
However, as a fellow rut resider currently, I have found some great tips to inspire yourself to slip on those bright nikes, shimmy into some leggings and get yourself to the gym. I’ve also come to find some great tips when it comes to diet ruts. Hopefully these personal suggestions can help anyone else experiencing rut-like symptoms and quit the waiting game! ⊛
So lets start with getting your butt to the gym. I’m a habit kind of gal. I like doing chores/tasks best when it’s just a habit and I don’t really have to think about it. However, even though a gym habit can be great, being a zombie once you get there isn’t going to help anyone. I’ve discovered that ruts usually occur when I don’t switch up my gym routine, try a fun class every once in a while or ask a gym buddy to push me while we’re there. Unconsciously making your way through the maze of treadmills and dumbbells without a second thought is only going to leave you frustrated that you’re not seeing the results you want.
So tip number 1. Switch up your gym routine in a challenging and fun way! It will keep your body guessing and keep you from being bored at the gym.
Second tip to help you make your way to the gym is to buy/wear some cute workout clothes and set them out the night before! When I wake up in the morning I usually barely roll out of bed before I realize I have to pee like crazy. That doesn’t make it sound like my day is going to be very productive, let alone make it to the gym. BUT, usually before I go to sleep I’ll lay out a nicely coordinated gym outfit that I feel great in. This inevitable gym reminder in the morning makes it one of the first thoughts I have and makes me excited to go and wear some comfy athletic wear (even though that’s 90% of what I wear anyways). This is a super easy way to put the gym in your mind early in the day and ensure that you follow through on those thoughts!
Tip 2. Layout a gym outfit you love the night before and make sure you see it in the morning! This will help you think of the gym early and give you motivation to get there.
Third tip for ultimate gym motivation? Goal setting. Nothing serious or long term, just weekly. I have found that setting three main goals at the beginning of every week helps me focus my time and be more productive. To achieve those goals I will write three mini goals a day, in a journal or just on my phone, to help me achieve those goals by the end of the week. This doesn’t necessarily have to just be about getting to the gym but it’s a great way to not lose track of exercising if you’ve got a busy schedule. I usually make one of my larger goals fitness related for the week and then at least one fitness oriented mini goal a day in order to achieve my larger one. This helps me focus on what I really want to achieve for my exercise each week and help me to feel like I am making progress! It’s also a great way to track your progress ☺. Just simply write these goals down each week and check in with yourself on Wednesdays to see how it’s going. Then reflect on what you did well and could’ve improved on for Friday’s.
Tip 3. Write down three larger weekly goals, one being fitness oriented. Make three small goals a day you want to complete to help you achieve your larger ones. Check in with yourself on Wednesdays and reflect on Fridays ☺.
Okay now onto those pesky diet ruts we all seem to find ourselves in from time to time. Here are some tips I have found helpful as I have crawled my way out of the occasional rut.
First diet tip to get you out of a potential fast-food-for-every-dinner-kind-of-rut, is to start your day off right, (with breakfast of course). Eating a healthy and balanced breakfast makes me feel motivated to continue the healthy train all throughout my day. If I’m ever craving an unhealthy snack or meal I think of how I started my day and it makes me feel motivated to continue my streak. If you know me, you’ll know I can be pretty competitive, so it almost becomes a game for me! Nothing psycho, like seeing how many kale smoothies you can down before 11am or adding 10 extra scoops of protein powder to your coffee *just to see if you can take it*. No, nothing like that. Just healthy friendly competition with yourself to maintain a healthy streak throughout your day after you’ve started it off right.
Tip number 1. Start your day with a healthy and motivating breakfast to keep you eating healthy all day long! (recipe for such a breakfast below ☺ ).
The second diet tip is to stay inspired. Boredom = senseless snacking and lazy meals. One way to avoid this is to always be tuned into new recipes and cooking hacks. The internet is a great spot for these. I’ll list some of my favorite food inspirations below! I often find myself searching through my kitchen cabinet bored and hungry. This is a dangerous period of time where some heavy duty snacking can occur. But, if I have a healthy recipe in mind I want to try, I’m motivated to put my skills to the test and try something fun! Staying inspired by healthy and fit recipes is easy if you have an Instagram or Youtube account. Just find some people who seem to be infinitely better humans than you and obviously have copious amounts of time on their hands to have such a put together life and follow all the beautiful creations they make! Stay tuned till the end to see some of my favorite beautiful humans ☆.
Tip 2. Have a source of healthy recipes you have easy access to. This will help you stay inspired and motivated to cook nourishing meals for yourself and not get sucked into the TV dinner lifestyle.
My last tip seems quite simple but a lot of people, including myself, seem to struggle with it. Simply put, if there is NO unhealthy/gross food in your house you will NOT eat it. Wait, what. It’s that easy? Apparently so. By not having these foods around you can’t satisfy those pesky cravings throughout your day. It seems so obvious and simple until you walk into Target and the Oreo’s are on 2 for 1 and the sour cream and onion Lay’s are on a price cut. To resist these infinite grocery shopping cravings I make a list of all the food I actually need and then personally commit to it. Make a little contract with yourself that you will stick to this list and not cave when you stare into the eyes of Spongebob on the outside of the Kraft Mac and Cheese box. It’s hard, I know. The shapes mac and cheese always tastes better but know that they won’t feel better 20 minutes later. Not saying you can’t indulge every once in a while, but know that every time you stop into your grocery store you shouldn’t be exiting with the sweets aisle in hand. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Tip 3. If the unhealthy food isn’t in the house, you won’t have to option to fulfill those late night cravings. Make a list and stick to it when grocery shopping! Sticking to a healthy lifestyle will be much easier if you’re not tempting yourself at every turn ✿.
So these are some of the my personal tips I have found along the way to help motivate myself and get my butt in gear. I hope they can do the same for you! ✌ ♥
Below is one of my favorite new breakfast recipes:
▽ Stir Fry Egg Scramble △
Ingredients:
1. 2 eggs (add more if you’d like)
2. 1/2 Pepper chopped (I use red)
3. 1 whole carrot chopped thinly
4. 1/2 cup of spinach minced
5. 1 tablespoon (or more if you want…) of Hoisin or Sriracha sauce
Directions:
Start by chopping and mincing all of your vegetables first. They take longer to prepare and cook than the eggs so do this first! Then grab your nonstick pan and some grape seed oil. Pour a tiny amount of the oil onto the pan and let that heat on a medium setting. Then crack however many eggs you choose into the pan and quickly dump your veggies on top. Grab a spatula and scramble those bad boys until fully cooked. Feel free to add some pepper but try to avoid salt (to keep the sodium intake low). Dump your sauce of choice into the pan, lower the heat and mix until satisfied.
Voila! A quick, healthy and delicious scramble for breakfast ☼ (To make it even quicker, prepare your veggies the night before! Then all you need to do is dump them in the pan ☺).
And now some of my favorite inspiring people who I hope bring you lots of inspo too ❁
Instagram:
@kayla_itsines @wayofgray @ellefitactive @elle_fit @yoga_girl
Youtube:
KymNonStop LoveHealthFitness FitnessBlender Sarah Fit
Until next time,
Maddie ☮
My Fit Hit 