Every since I was sick with vertigo back in December, I’ve really struggled to get back into fitness properly.
I’ve been really demotivated due the weight I gained during my time off work and being unable to exercise.
In January, I was really motivated to gym loads and get back on course. The first couple of weeks were good. Really good. I was eating well and exercising loads. But then a few life stressors happened and I let it effect my life more than I wish I had.
The first stressor was a work related thing. On my journey home, instead of going to the gym I just drove straight to my front door, opened a bottle of wine and got a takeaway. One thing I really struggle with is taking a failure really personally. Even if it’s not all my fault. I take great pride in being good at my job and if something goes wrong, it throws me.
The following weeks were totally up and down for me. I’ve had highs, I’ve had lows and a lot of things have changed in my life. I also started a new job which is something that’s stressful itself. To have to integrate into a new group of people isn’t something that comes easily for me.
Almost all this chaos was great things too. Plans, friends, events, meals. But when you work full time as well as run three blogs – time isn’t something that you’re rich in and because on my list of important things, blogging as at the very top, the exercise had to be sacrificed. And to an extent, healthy eating too. I was opting for easier food choices that were quick.
Everything felt half assed and I’ve always been against counting calories, because it makes me a bit crazy and obsessive.
But after thinking long and hard about it, I think I need to. Because I’m not holding myself accountable really and the weight loss isn’t happening.
When you don’t count calories, it can be really just to go to the fridge and eat a couple of falafel calls which add and extra 150 calories to your intake. Or grab a slice of cheese, or an extra spring roll.
So I’ve decided to download MyFtinessPal and start tracking what I’m eating so I can have a better idea of what I’m putting inside mah gob.
I also want to have a better idea of what type of calories I’m eating, so I’ve been paying attention to my macros a bit more too.
This is inspiring me to be better with exercise, too. And I’ve finally started to add some weights into the mix and pushing myself really hard.
It’s almost Spring and the outside runs can get more frequent. I’ve got 2 months to train for a half marathon and I’d love to beat the time I’ve got last year.
How do you stay motivated when you’re in a slump?
I usually have to sit myself down and have a good chat with myself, look at why I’m in the slump – if it’s something I can control, then I deal with it, I make it right, I find an answer, I take control of the situation. If it’s something I can’t control, I HAVE to let it go, whatever it is. This usually takes a few days, a few tears and a hammering of positive quotes and motivational mantras but eventually I get out of my slump. Making a plan of attack, having a goal to work towards, they all help drag me out of my pit and get moving again.
You CAN do this! 😀
Sarah 🙂
Saloca in Wonderland
Ahhh I wish I could find some of this motivation! I’m also in a major slump (new full time job, life is busy, and like you say, I’ve started to prioritise blogging and socialising over the gym) and I need to get back into it. Everyone keeps telling me it’s ok as I’ve only just started this job but it’s been two weeks now and the number on the scales isn’t shifting…
I’ve started a food diary this week – no calories or macros, simply a list of what I eat and it has made me eat so much cleaner. Now I need to get the exercise part nailed…
I’ve started using kiqplan which has a weight loss gage that moves left to right depending on your calorie intake and step count. The competitive side of me really pushes to get it to the “weight loss” side!