better body
20 motivational tips for a healthier, happier and slimmer you
1. Set targets
“Set yourself up for success by having targets that are achievable and doable based on what is possible. Remember you’ll probably never weigh what you did 20 years ago and that’s OK. Aim to get yourself back to a place where you feel healthy, confident, and energised,” says Anna Wallace, nutritionist at The Weight Loss Academy (theweightloss-academy.com).
2. Ditch restrictive diets
“These are depressing and unsustainable and you’ll soon lose motivation to stick to them – and you’ll inevitably put more weight on afterwards as a consequence of rebelling,” says weight loss guru Pippa Hill, (theweightlossguru.co). Instead, she recommends, in order to keep your motivation going, that you aim to eat in a balanced way to get healthy and feel positive. Avoid processed foods – if you eat more healthily the fat will fall off!
3. Understand the “why”
“Consistent motivation to lose weight is all about the “why”. This means you need to identify your weight loss inspiration, i.e. what is the deep and meaningful reason for wanting to be slimmer? Avoid being led by something external, dig deeper for something that is intrinsically motivating like wanting to feel great in your special outfit or having energy to play with the kids,” says Sandra Roycroft-Davis, weight loss specialist (thinkingslimmer.com). Your “why” motivation is something that will stay with you throughout life, and it really helps you stay connected with your goal.
4. Sleep more
It can be hard to lose weight if you’re permanently tired. So, an easy way to boost weight loss motivation is to get more zzz! “Sleep matters – this improves your gut microf lora and allows your stress levels to fall. We are either in a state of fight/f light or rest/digest. Science shows adults need a minimum of seven hours’ sleep per night to function optimally – otherwise we often rely on caffeine or sugar to get our energy, which further disrupts our microf lora, resulting in bloating and inf lammation,” says nutritionist coach Dr Kate Couchman (drkatehealth coaching.com).
5. Track your food
Have you lost weight loss motivation because you’ve slipped back into bad habits? “To lose weight you need to understand what you’re eating as too many of us easily and innocently forget what we’re consuming. All those extras like drinks, sauces, butter, oil etc. add up,” says Arj Thiruchelvam, head coach at Performance Physique (check out their 4 Weeks 4 Kilos programme at performancephysique.co.uk). He recommends you spend three days writing a food diary or, even better, using a food tracking app to understand the volume of food you’re consuming. Honesty is key.
6. Move away from the scales!
“Believe it or not, stepping away f
