Looking a certain way is important to a lot of people and when trying to achieve a certain look, people tend to get too pre-occupied with things that not only distract them from achieving their goals faster but can also have a profoundly negative effect on their mental and physical health.
These following tips take all of that into account and should help you know what to focus on and what to leave alone with trying to achieve your dream physique and lead a healthier and happier lifestyle.
- Forget the scales
A lot of trainers will tell you “scales are only good for weighing your food”, which 99% of the time is absolutely correct. How you look and how you feel in your clothes should be your main indicator of how your progress is going. Anything else and you’re just focusing on additional things that shouldn’t really be of concern.
- Mirrors can help (to an extent)
Apart from how you fit in your clothes, the mirror is the only other thing you need to help measure your progress. You will be able to see where you’ve lost weight, where you’ve gained lean muscle and what areas still require improvement. Don’t get caught up or obsessed with this though. You shouldn’t be checking daily. Weekly is a better indicator and it should be the same day and time of day in just some shorts or your underwear so nothing else is factored in that shouldn’t be.
- Social media needs to be regulated
By this we mean social media can be a great motivator when used in the right way but it can also lead to people becoming obsessive and there have been articles in the news on how bad it can be for your mental health. If you follow and look at things online that don’t motivate you and make you feel insecure then it’s time to unfollow those accounts.
You should be following a select group of people who motivate you, provide you with new information that helps you in your own fitness goal and who generally have a positive impact on your life. Anything other than that will only lead to negative feelings and in the long term can have a profound impact on your mental wellbeing.
- Treat yourself
A new lifestyle shouldn’t be too restrictive and feel like a punishment. This is something good you’re doing and your mind and body will thank you for it in the long run. You’ll look great and you should also feel great so don’t do anything too extreme and make yourself miserable doing it.
You want a little treat every day? then have it. You want a large treat at the weekend? Do it. A healthy lifestyle is not 100% of the time. A figure thrown around a lot is 70/30 so 70% good and 30% not so good. The most important thing is CONSISTENCY. That means most of them you’re eating clean and training well but you’re allowed snacks and cheat meals too. Just not all the time. One little unhealthy snack per day and a cheat meal on each day of the weekend is not bad for you so long as you make up for it the rest of the time. You have to enjoy life when you’re doing things. It’s a journey!
