Skyrocketing your motivation & your results can sometimes be as simple as adding a few quick & powerful habits into your daily routine.  I created a Goals & Gratitudes Journal for you to record your goals (+ specific action steps), write down positive affirmations, & keep track of the things you’re grateful for.  Click the button below to download it (for FREE)! ☺️

A lot of people tell me that one of their biggest challenges when it comes to healthy living is a lack of motivation.

And believe me — I totally get it!

Sometimes it feels like people think I’m perfect when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle (in fact, some of our patients will sometimes joke about how picture-perfect they think our health choices are).

Maybe it’s because they SEE me working out, they SEE me eating salads or green smoothies or healthy meals, they SEE me getting adjusted regularly, they SEE me smiling all the time & radiating a glow of positivity…

But what they DON’T see are the times that I devour a bacon, egg, & cheese burger (definitely not organic & grass-fed), plus fries, plus 3 slices of pizza, all in one sitting 😬 (#alwayshungry)…

Or the times when I drink 1 too many glasses of wine (I think the alcohol & sugar content probably outweighs any antioxidant benefits at that point)…

Or the times when I have NO motivation to work out, so I simply don’t do it…for 6 days straight…

Or the times when I don’t take my supplements, or I don’t do my spinal homecare exercises (which you’d think I’d be a freaking PRO at by now!)…

Or the times when I’m negative, crabby, or just plain horrible to be around…

And the list goes on.

These aren’t particularly proud moments for me to share with you. But my purpose in sharing them is to encourage you.  I’m human, I make mistakes, I fail, I’m not perfect, and I have my weaknesses — just like everyone else!

Ultimately, my desire to inspire you, encourage you, give you hope, and relate with you as the genuine & authentic me, outweighs my fear of judgement. 💜

If I can figure out how to do this thing called “life” in a healthy way, I know you can too! We’re all in this together! ☺️ (Too cheesy?? Not for me. 🤓 I’m pretty sure that was a High School Musical song, too — which is even better!)

Whether you’re struggling with eating healthy on a regular basis, working out frequently, losing weight, staying relaxed & happy instead of stressed & negative, or whatever it is: Lack of motivation is often one of the biggest culprits that could be preventing you from reaching your health goals & creating your dream life.

So, in an effort to help YOU increase your motivation when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, here are 7 of the biggest tips that have helped me (& continue to help me):

1. Discover & anchor to your WHY!

WHY do you want to be healthy?

Really think about it (not just for 2 seconds, but literally take 5-10 minutes right now and meditate on it).

Is it because you want to be around for a long time to experience many more joyful moments with your family?

Is it because you want to have the health & energy to help provide for yourself & your family? (When you lose your health, it’s pretty hard to work or make money to live off of).

Is it because you want to be a role model for others to live a healthy lifestyle?

Is it because you want to be financially smart & prosperous? (Investing in your health NOW will save you thousands of dollars down the road because of less medications, surgeries, & hospital bills.)

Is it because you want to truly feel & look your best? (Not JUST for bikini season — although that can be a good (short-term) motivator for some people 🙃…but for the rest of your life, on a daily basis!)

Is it because you know you can’t fulfill your purpose if you don’t have the energy & health to do so?

Your Action Step:

Whatever it is for you — and it can be more than one reason — write it down NOW, read it every day, and keep it in front of you constantly.

Your WHY will act as a fuel to your motivation! Anytime you start slipping with your health (or any goal in your life), remember WHY you started in the first place, and anchor to that.

When your WHY is big enough, you can endure almost anything. ☺️

2. Find an accountability buddy (or buddies)!

This one is big for me, guys! Although I’m a ginormous introvert and try not to involve a lot of people in most of my endeavors, there’s something about having accountability buddies that just plain works.

Maybe it’s my semi-dysfunctional desire to please others & not let people down.

Or perhaps it’s a deep desire to be a person of integrity & follow through on what I say I’m gonna do.

Possibly it’s partly a healthy fear of missing out (nobody likes FOMO…🙃) — like, as much as I don’t feel like working out right now, my accountability buddies are about to embark on an intense workout & they’ll be reaping the benefits, so deep down I really don’t wanna miss out!

And most of all (for me at least), having another person (or multiple people) to hold you accountable helps you feel supported, stay encouraged, have more fun, & feel like you’re part of a team or community of like-minded people.

This will motivate you & inspire you to take action and to keep on keepin’ on — together! ☺️

Your Action Step:

Find at least 1 accountability buddy — someone who will be supportive & encouraging to you in your health endeavors. It could be a spouse, a friend, a co-worker, a sibling — anyone who also values a healthy lifestyle & who will be a positive influence in your life.

Some of my favorite ways to utilize the power of accountability buddies include:

• Working out together (or even working out over FaceTime together can be fun!)
• Share the workout you’ll be doing for the day to create accountability (here are a few ideas for you!)
• Share the workout you already did for the day to encourage & inspire them.
• Text pictures of the healthy meals or snacks you eat. (I’m a total foodie, so this is always one of my favorites! 😄)
• Make healthy meals together (like this totally bomb gluten-free, grain-free pizza!)
• Text each other every day sharing 3 things you’re thankful for.
• Tell each other your health goals & action steps!

What activities will YOU do with your accountability buddy?

3. Define a vision for your life!

It’s so important to have a vision & dreams – and to put them in front of you & meditate on them daily.  

This one can get really exciting — you get to allow your creativity to run wild!  It’s YOUR life & YOUR vision & YOUR dreams — you have the freedom to create whatever you want. 💜

My favorite way to express my vision for my life is by creating a vision board!  A vision board is basically a collage or collection of pictures, statements, quotes, & words that represent your dreams & values in life.

Vision boards are a ton of fun to make, and they evoke a sense of encouragement & inspiration when you spend time looking at them.  The more you focus your thoughts & energy on what you want for your health & your life, the more action you’ll take to achieve those results, & the more you’ll start attracting those things into your life.   

It’s one of the most amazing feelings ever when something materializes in your life that was once just a picture or statement on your vision board! 🙏

Here’s a picture of my current vision board at the time of this writing:

Your Action Step:

Create a vision board! (Or if you already have one, is there anything that needs to be added, updated, or changed?)

You can either buy a corkboard & thumbtacks (which is what mine is made of), or you can buy a thick poster board to use as the base.  Another option would be to make one digitally (either in a design program or website), and then have it printed.

Find images, photos, words, quotes, etc. that reflect your dreams & vision — I recommend looking through your photos, searching on Google, flipping through magazines, & even creating some of your own tidbits.

Your vision board can encompass several or ALL areas of your life — so think about your dreams & values for your health, your relationships, your family, your career, your purpose, your hobbies & recreation, your finances, your faith, etc.

Once you’ve created your vision board, spend time looking at it each day & visualize your life looking like that in the future!

And remember: as your dreams change or your vision gets more clearly defined (or your dreams start happening! 🙏), you can always update & change your vision board.

4. Set goals!

By nature, I’m not always a super goal-oriented person.  However, I definitely notice a difference in my motivation, focus, & results when I actually define a goal & commit to it.  Because here’s the thing: If you don’t have a goal in mind, then what are you aiming at?  You can’t expect to hit your target if you’re taking steps sporadically & aimlessly.

I heard once from Brian Tracy that according to the best research, less than 3% of Americans have written goals, and less than 1% review and rewrite their goals on a daily basis.  Wow!! 😲

In general, the most successful people have clearly-defined GOALS — and not only do they HAVE goals, but they write them down & review them every day.

I like to make shorter-term goals (90 days or less), rather than long-term goals (over 90 days, or even up to several years).  

I’ve learned from Todd Herman that 90 days is the “horizon line to the motivational factor in our minds”.  A goal is something that we can see — so anything beyond 90 days is more of a “vision” (& would be great to put on your vision board! 🙃)

Another concept I sometimes include in my goal-setting is Rewards & Consequences.  People in general are very motivated to either seek pleasure (rewards) and/or avoid pain (consequences).  

Sometimes setting a specific reward tied to hitting your goal, or setting a consequence if you don’t hit your goal, can give you an even bigger boost of motivation to do whatever you can to hit the goal!

Your Action Step:

Set some clear, short-term (90 days or less) goals.  Write them down, & then re-read & re-write them each day.

You can write your goals for all different aspects of your life (just like with your vision board) — health, family, relationships, career, finances…

In addition to writing down the actual goals & main desired outcomes, map out & write down HOW you’ll achieve those goals & WHAT needs to be done in order to get there.  

For example, if my goal was to lose 10 pounds in the next 30 days, some of my specific action steps would be:

• Plan out each meal to make sure I’m eating in a way that supports weight loss, metabolism, & fat-burning.
• Do a high-intensity, fat-burning workout 5+ days per week, & plan out which days I’ll do them. (And I’d use this free Weekly Workout Planner to help me stay on track & stay motivated with my workouts).
• Limit my vacation meals (out to eat, etc.) to 1 day per week.

A goal on a piece of paper won’t do you much good without having specific action steps & implementing those tasks into your schedule.  

I created a Goals & Gratitudes Journal for you to record your goals, along with specific action steps for reaching those goals.  (Not to mention, you’ll be able to write down positive affirmations & gratitudes, too!).  Click the button below to download it (for FREE)! ☺️

5. Utilize the power of positive affirmations!

Our mindset, thoughts, & words directly impact our health, happiness, & results in our life.

Negative thoughts & words cause more stress, which negatively impacts our health, and positive thoughts & words lower our stress levels, increase peace & joy in our lives, and improve our overall health.

Our thoughts & words are SO incredibly powerful — and oftentimes, our life & experiences tend to reflect the dominant thoughts we have & words we speak to ourselves. This is why positive affirmations are so important! 💜

You can say positive affirmations that have to do with any area of life (who you are, your health, your character, relationships, career, finances, your dreams, etc.)

Some of my favorite positive affirmations over the years include:

• I am physically, mentally, emotionally, & spiritually healthy.
• I am calm & relaxed in all circumstances.
• Every aspect of my life is filled with love & happiness.
• I am living the life of my dreams!
• I am loved, saved, forgiven, & free.
• I make a bigger impact & income than I could’ve ever imagined.
• I give generously & abundantly.
• I live a life of fulfillment & financial freedom.

Your Action Step:

Write down some positive affirmations that you want to speak over your life.  Make sure you read them every day, and say them OUT LOUD (it’s even more powerful that way)!  Speak with intention, emotion, & really allow yourself to feel the impact of the words.

For the most effective affirmations, make sure they are:

• Personal: They apply directly to you & you can relate to them — not just a cookie-cutter affirmation that someone else says that doesn’t mean much to you.
• Present Tense: Use words like “I am…” or “My life is…”, rather than “I will be…” or “Someday I’ll have…”.  Even if the affirmation isn’t completely true yet, it’s so much more powerful to speak AS IF it is!
• Positive: This might seem obvious, but make sure there’s no negativity in your affirmations. ☺️

6. Live with gratitude!

Life is just so much more enjoyable when you’re GRATEFUL!  It gives you more joy, more peace, & more motivation to keep pursuing your dreams.

I’ve learned to not only be thankful in the good times, but to be thankful throughout the struggles in life too.  (More on that here!)

My favorite way to practice gratitude on a daily basis is by having a gratitude journal!  Every day (or at least I TRY to every day), I write down at least 3 things I’m thankful for.

Not only does this get me into a positive state for the day, but I also love looking back on past entries in my gratitude journal.  Reminiscing on these gratitudes helps me see how far I’ve come, encourages me, motivates me, & reminds me of how truly blessed I am! ☺️

Another way I sometimes like to live with gratitude is by texting an accountability buddies & sharing my 3+ gratitudes with them each day.  It inspires them & provides accountability for everyone involved to keep being grateful on a daily basis.  

Your Action Step:

Start a gratitude journal!  Just download the Goals & Gratitudes Journal (click on one of the buttons throughout this page), get a notebook, or you could even use the Notes app in your phone — and write down 3+ things each day that you’re thankful for.

I’d also challenge you to share your gratitudes with others — find an accountability buddy that you can text, and hold each other accountable to sharing what you’re thankful for each day.

7. Don’t forget to celebrate!

Ok, this is arguably the most FUN of these 7 ways to skyrocket your motivation & results! 🙃

Some people might think that celebrating your wins is unnecessary, excessive, or insignificant.  Others might think it’s totally a no-brainer to celebrate your wins & they never have to be reminded to stage a celebration.

Wherever you fall on that scale, just know that it IS important to celebrate your wins — big AND small! 🤗

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in striving for the next goal or the next thing, that we forget to celebrate the progress we’ve already made (even if it doesn’t feel like much) — or we think such a small step isn’t worthy of celebrating.

But the truth is, celebrating your wins & progress can create incredible momentum, build excitement, & give you energy & motivation to keep working hard!  And as one of my mentors & friends, Kenny Mills, says: “What gets celebrated gets replicated.”

In fact, when you deprive yourself of properly celebrating a win, you may not have the strength & motivation to endure the struggles of your next endeavor.

On the other hand, be careful not to excessively celebrate (as I’m sometimes guilty of 😬) — there’s a time for celebration, & there’s a time for sacrifice.

And also make sure you don’t celebrate in a way that sabotages your goals. For example: If you lost 5 pounds & you want to celebrate, it’s probably best not to celebrate by indulging in a huge pizza (unless it’s this one!) & your favorite ice cream creation from Cold Stone. 🙃

Your Action Step:

Think of a win you had in your life recently (it can be health-related or some other area of life) — and it can be a big or small win.  

Celebrate that win (& your future wins) in some way — that doesn’t sabotage your goals and that gives you excitement & motivation to keep moving forward.

———-

If you implement some of these 7 tips (or all of them if you’re a super go-getter!), I know you’ll be blessed with a mega dose of motivation, as well as more joy, peace, & purpose in your life.  

And all of these things will ultimately lead to you getting closer & closer to reaching the results you want in your health & your life! ☺️

Make sure you download the Goals & Gratitudes Journal to help you implement a few of these motivation strategies.  You’ll be able to record your goals (+ specific action steps), write down positive affirmations, & keep track of the things you’re grateful for.  Click the button below to download it (for FREE)! 💜

Remember: You’re not alone! Everyone struggles at times — and nobody’s perfect.

If you make a mistake, or you don’t follow-through on your original plan, or you skip a workout you planned on doing, or you eat one too many vacation meals than you would’ve liked — don’t beat yourself up!

Just start fresh again. You still have the rest of the day to make smart & healthy choices. And tomorrow’s a new day!

Which of these motivation-boosting tips are you most excited to implement?  Drop a comment below!