So it's that time of the year again, just after mid-terms, when you begin to panic about basically everything in your life. Will I pass this class? Will I pass any of my classes? Did I spend all of my rent money on clothes? Just about anything can cause you to break out into a melt-down panic where you are absolutely sure your entire life is in shambles.
Breath.
You will pass your class(es). Your parents will spot you those few extra dollars that you totally did not spend on a new Michael Kors purse that you HAD to have. Everything will pan out, and soon it will be Christmas break.
During a time with all of these stressors, it is easy let your eating habits and work-out schedule fall to the wayside. You may have noticed that your jeans are starting to feel a little snug, or maybe you don't project the same confidence in your already hard to breath in LBD. If so, maybe it is time to start again fresh with your health and fitness routines.
Probably the hardest part of all of this is finding the time between your classes, homework and endless social activities, but in the end it is so worth it. Here is how you can get back on track to a healthy lifestyle.
Step 1:
Find your motivation.
Whether it's envisioning yourself three months from now, or looking up fitness inspo's on pinterest. Find what gets you excited about eating clean and hitting the gym, and look at it a couple times every week.
Step 2:
Go shopping.
...for healthy meal options and a cute new workout outfit, that is.
Step 3:
Start slow.
One of the quickest ways to loose motivation is to start by doing way too much too soon. When you wake up the next morning your body will hate you for it, so start out doing a short workout that speeds up your heart rate and then work your way up.
As for food, if you jump straight into a completely clean array of food with no cheat days, it isn't likely that you'll stick to this new plan long. Start by switching one meal a day to something healthy and slowly work our way up to eating an 80/20 diet.
Step 4:
Find an app to keep you accountable.
I always use MyFitnessPal and Nike's Running app. The more you have to commit to saying you did something, the more likely that you'll actually do it.
Step 5:
Get your friends involved with you.
This is just another way to keep you motivated and accountable.
Step 6:
Keep up these steps.
Remember that this is a lifestyle change, something that you should keep up with permanently. If you start calling it a diet or weight-loss plan, you'll never stay on track. A few weeks in, you'll lose motivation and go back to your old, unhealthy habits. However, if you consider it a lifestyle, you wont beat yourself up for the slip-ups or bad days along the way (trust me, we ALL have them).
XO,
