Tips to Stay Motivated to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

I have been holding off on posting about this since the start of Naturally Nicoletta–even though so many people have requested it. One of the main reasons that I have been wary is because motivation is different for everyone. I am the type of person who once I have my mind set on something, I remain motivated until I achieve that. Not everyone is like that and when it comes to staying motivated to live a healthy lifestyle, it's not easy.Because there is not one end all-be all way to stay motivated to live a healthy lifestyle, I am going to give you some tips to reframe your mindset to help a healthy lifestyle sort of fall into your lap.

WHY do you want to do this?

Whether you are looking to workout more, eat healthier, or just drinking more water; why do you want to do this? Is it because you want to be skinner? Or is it because you want to nourish your body? Ask yourself, is this because of superficial reasons or do you really want to make a shift in your lifestyle? One of the most vital things that I have learned in the past few years is that I am doing all of this because I want to live longer, I want to live more optimally not because I want to be skinny or fit into society's mold of what I should look like.

HOW are you achieving a healthy lifestyle?

Studies show that diets work–they are great for short periods of time but not sustainable in the long run. Very few people are able to sustain very restrictive, strict diets/workout regimens. In all honesty, who really wants that? While yes, I want to eat healthy and stay active, I also want to live my life. I want to be able to enjoy cake on my birthday without guilt. I am a 19 year old college student, I want to enjoy myself and not constantly feel held back by food and fitness. I've been there and shifting to a more intuitive lifestyle has given me the freedom to live my life and not constantly feel in a state of being restricted.

WHAT do you think about yourself now?

One of the most cliché things to say is that you need to learn to love who you are now–but it's true. I know it's not easy when you see things about yourself that you want to change but rather than focusing on the negative, focus on what you do like. Your big heart, the strength that your legs bring, all of the things throughout your life that your arms have carried, etc. One of my favorite sayings, that I constantly repeat to myself, is "the least interesting thing about yourself should be the way you look."In today's society, it's not easy to stop ourselves from comparing the way we look, achievements, etc. to the people around us but a lot of times comparison is one of the main reasons we don't like who we are. My advice is to focus on the things you love about yourself and work on what you don't love–but don't dwell on those parts.

Be KIND to yourself

Always, always, ALWAYS be kind to yourself. I cannot stress how important this is. From the wise words of Hannah Montana, "nobody's perfect." We all make mistakes and we all slip up from time to time. The beauty about life is that everyday is a new day and we have the power to change our lives whenever we want. How empowering is that? There's really no need to wait for the start of the new week, new month, or even new year. If you want to make a change, tomorrow is a new day. Being kind to yourself, especially when journeying through the start of living a healthy life, is crucial to staying motivated. Who wants to continue to do something when you constantly feel like a failure doing it? Be kind and remember tomorrow is a new day. :) Staying motivated is probably one of the hardest things about the beginning of shifting towards a healthier life. Let me tell you, once you get over the beginning hump and begin to shake off your "bad habits," living a healthier life will fall into your lap with no problem. It takes time and it takes finding what works best for you but shifting your mentality and focus on things that will keep you motivated is, in my opinion, one of the most important things. I'd love to talk more about this, or if you have any specific questions, feel free to message me! I'd love to chat.XO, Nikki