Motivational tricks to get you prepped for summer

Summer is right around the corner and with it comes fun in the sun, trips to the beach and holiday getaways. If your body (and your bank account) aren’t quite ready for summer yet, try these motivational tricks to get you prepped.

Yes, your sofa is soft, cosy and comfortable, but you have been laying on it so long that there’s an imprint of your rear on the cushion. It’s time to get up and get moving — but the gym just seems like so much of a hassle.

Make it a competition

Get a workout buddy and make it a friendly competition. Keep track of your workouts — who ran the furthest, lifted the most weight or burned the most calories this week?

Get fit and give back

Start signing up for fitness runs and other exercise programs that give back to a charity organisation. Training for a 5-kilometre run that benefits a cause you believe in can be truly motivational.

Consider it play, not exercise

If exercise is a dirty word in your mind, get moving in ways that seem more like play than a gruelling workout. Start walking or biking with your kids in the evening after dinner. Sign up to hip hop or salsa dance classes. Go swimming, horseback riding and kayaking. Everyone can get motivated about doing something they enjoy.

If you have been eating poorly lately, it can be difficult to get back on track. However, a few motivational ideas should get you to put down the cake and pick up the celery instead.

Go bikini shopping

Feeling a little less than happy about your body? Go bikini shopping. Once you see what you will look like in a swimsuit this summer, you’ll be more likely to start eating healthier.

Post pictures

Create a vision board or just post pictures on your refrigerator of the clothes that you want to wear and the body that you want to have. Remember that your weight goals shouldn’t be about being thin, but rather about being healthy and liking how you look.

There’s an app for that

There are hundreds of mobile phone apps out there that keep you motivated to stick to a healthy diet. Look for apps that provide support from others who are dieting, as well as healthy recipe ideas.

If you are hoping to take a big trip this summer, but still haven’t saved the funds, get motivated to stop spending and start putting away the money that you need.

Make a down payment

Nothing will motivate you more to save money than to start paying for your holiday. Book your hotel reservations, buy the airline tickets or make a down payment on a travel package. Once you know that you’ve spent that money, the plans will seem more real and you’ll know you need to start saving money to pay off the trip.

Go back to the vision board

Add more pictures to your vision board. Tear out pages from travel magazines and print out pictures from websites that show all the beautiful places you want to go and things you want to do.

Do it in small doses

You can easily start saving money bit by bit with a few simple tricks. Start drinking coffee at home instead of from your local coffee shop. Take that money that you would normally spend on java and put it into savings instead. Figure out how much money you generally spend on fast food and restaurants. Start packing your lunch for work and cooking/eating dinner at home. Deposit the money you typically spend on eating out into your bank account.

More about health and wellness

Best workouts to reach your body goal
4 Weight loss myths
6 Flat belly moves