How to keep up your New Year motivation

Everyone wakes up on January 1st feeling full of positive vibes and energy, because it’s a whole new year and a completely fresh start. New Year’s Day feels like a chance to wipe the slate clean, start your New Year resolutions and become a better version of you. Often, however, that motivation starts to wear off very quickly. Within a week or two, you may find yourself sliding back into old habits and failing to keep the new ones you’d promised to make. So how do you avoid losing that New Year’s Day spark and keep yourself on track?

Don’t think too big

Firstly, don’t be too ambitious – think small steps, not one giant leap. You’re not going to lose three stone in a month or be up to tackling a marathon after a week of pulling on some running shoes. Set small, realistic goals which you can actually achieve, then set some more. The sense of achievement which comes with reaching a target acts as fuel for your motivation, so you’re more likely to keep going and working towards that larger end goal.

Write your resolutions down

By committing them to paper, you feel you’re setting your resolutions in stone. They’re no longer just an abstract thought in your head but something more concrete, plus you create a handy step-by-step guide to achieving your bigger target. There’s also something very satisfying about putting a tick beside an ambition you’ve achieved, which again reinforces your motivation.

Tell people

Another way to stay on track is by being made to feel accountable. If you tell friends and family about your goals, you’ll feel a little surge of guilt if you have nothing positive to report back. If they ask how the new fitness plan is working out or how the healthy eating is going, you don’t want to have to tell them you’ve stopped bothering. There’s no better way to keep up the momentum than feeling you’ve given up too easily.

Stay positive

It sounds easy, but staying positive is hard, especially when the reality of a cold, dark winter starts to bite. If it helps, create an inspiration board. It’s not childish to have a board or a piece of paper where you can attach inspirational quotes from people you look up to, or images which are positive and life-affirming. Looking at it now and then can really pick you up on the tough days.

Reward yourself

It’s ok to treat yourself, particularly when you’ve ticked off one of your mini goals. Make the reward in proportion to the task you’ve accomplished, so harder goals deserve a bigger prize. It could be anything from a guilt-free chocolate biscuit to a new piece of clothing, whatever it is you feel is justified by your success. Knowing there’s something to look forward to helps keep you going when things feel hard.

MVP organises workplace-based fitness programmes, designed to help your employees get in shape. For anyone wanting a fresh start, simply contact our team today.