Returning to work and and your normal routine after a holiday can be hard especially if you took a break from your diet and exercise. It’s important to realise that no one is perfect and everyone at some point will have a dip in motivation and make a mistake or two along the way. The quicker you can identify that things are off track and get them back on track the better. Here are 8 ways to get yourself re-motivated and fast track your results for summer.

1. Start today

 Don’t wait until ‘Monday’, or wait until ‘the weather warms up’, there is never a better time to start than right now! There is no time for excuses when it comes to your health. We all have slip ups, but taking ownership as quickly as possible is vital.

2. Ask for help or support

Don’t try and do it all on your own, if you need some motivation, support and guidance just reach out and ask. Call your Personal Trainer, or a friend or family member who is part of your support network. Tell them you’re struggling and use them to hold you accountable.  If you don’t have anyone if your life who is a positive supporter of your weight loss, it may be time to look for opportunities to meet some new positive people. Joining a small group class is a good start!

3. Return to your ‘WHY?’

Get back to your ‘why’ as quickly as possible to help refocus. Consider again why this goal is important to you and start visualising again how you will look and feel once you reach your goal, this is super powerful. Use photos of yourself as motivation to keep going. Always focus on the long term and don’t let anyone stand in your way.

4. Lose the ‘All or nothing’ mentality

One vital part of health and fitness is finding a sustainable balance that you can maintain long term after you hit your initial goal. If you’re being too strict or don’t have clear date to commence maintenance, chances are you will consistently blow out and and lose confidence. Eating and training for health and fitness doesn’t mean going hungry or training for 3 hours a day, it’s about eating the right foods and exercising in an effective and sustainable way. Eating a Mars Bar, and then not eating for the rest of the day is not going to get you long term success. Balance is the key.

5. Identify your weaknesses

This is a big one. Ask yourself what your negative triggers are, that get you off track and consider if they’re avoidable. An example may be Sunday BBQ’s or Friday night drinks. Ask yourself ‘Are the after work drinks helping me get to my goal? Can I avoid them for a month or two while I focus on my goal?’. If its work stress and resorting to comfort eating, ask your trainer or research how you could manage your stress levels better? Maybe a walk around the block, or reading motivational book each week will help. Self-awareness is our ability to identify our own weaknesses and being open to working on them.

6. Keep a Food & Activity diary

A food diary can often seem tedious, but its proven that keeping track of your daily food and drink intake is a huge key to staying on track. This is because you’re holding yourself accountable. When someone gets off track, it can often be very gradual, for example having an extra mocha in the afternoon, a few handfuls of corn chips or an extra serving of desert can add up very quickly and sometimes you don’t realise until you see it on paper. It’s also a great idea to track your steps by using a pedometer each day and ensuring you’re always trying hard to achieve 10,000 steps a day. Any extra exercise is great too,

7. Prepare your meals

We have all heard the saying ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’. If you see someone who is in great shape, chances are they cook and pack their meals the night before, to stay on track with their nutrition. Preparing your meals will not only save you time and money, but its also a great way to try new recipes ensure you get the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats. Using excuses like ‘I’m too busy’, may be an indication you need to go back to number 3 and number 5. We all live busy schedules, yet we all have time to spend on our phones or watching TV. Spending the extra hour a couple of times a week to prepare some meals is vital for staying on track. It can involve packing away your left overs in plastic containers for the next day, and ensuring when you go grocery shopping you have a plan of attack, so you can cook accordingly.

8. Daily gratitudes

It may sound silly, but some of the most successful and inspired people on the planet share 1 key to their success and happiness is simply gratitudes. Being able to take a moment and identify what you have in life, rather than focusing on what you don’t have, will transform your entire way of thinking. This way of thinking can take some time to adjust to – like anything it becomes easier the more you practise. Each morning jot down 5 things that you’re grateful for, it may be family members, job security or little things like new furniture in your apartment, or your morning coffee. It’s a common belief that the more you focus on good positive things in our life, the more good we attract, and your life will prosper. You will also become a better person to be around when you’re positive. We all know someone negative who mopes around complaining about their problems and unfortunately those people just continue to attract negative experiences into their life.