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Getting motivated is tough, and staying motivated is health’s million dollar question. You might be able to muster up the will to get to the gym a few times a week for a few weeks and then… nothing. Working out starts to feel like a slog. You fall back into your old TV habit and the next thing you know, you’re back on the couch instead of taking that after-dinner walk or meeting a friend for tennis. Inspiration can be especially sparse if you’re balancing a crazy work schedule, kids, aging parents, and everyday chores. But the good news is, there are now more motivational tools out there than ever to help you get (and stay) inspired to live a healthier life. One of the following helpful resources is bound to help you stick with your goals for the long haul! Insurance Perks Health insurance is vital for annual wellness visits, occasional ''What is that''-type questions and help preventing or managing chronic conditions. But the benefits of health insurance go way beyond basic coverage for your doctor's visits. Many health insurance providers will often reward you with discounts and other perks just for living a healthy lifestyle! Here are some of the bonuses your health insurance provider might be able to offer you at no additional cost:
Blogs Whether or not you’re a regular blog reader, these online hubs are a great way to connect with many fitness and diet experts, free of charge. These days, it's common for trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists and other professionals to write blogs in order to maintain an online presence and help them establish their practice and expertise while attracting new clients. It's common for these professionals to dole out free advice via their blogs, especially to newbies. Just make sure the authors can back up their words with proper credentials and sources, and take all non-professional advice with a grain of salt. It can often take some digging to find credible blogs, but once you do, you've hit the jackpot! Once you've found an expert whose blog you like, take advantage of his or her wisdom by asking questions, posting comments and requesting a few tips. Keep up to date with the blogs you like by adding them to a one-stop reader, such as Feedly, which will aggregate content from your favorite sites all in one place. Need help getting started? Try Googling ''best [insert health topic] blogs.'' You’ll quickly find dozens. Apps If you’re already carrying a smartphone or tablet, check out the myriad of wellness apps offered. Many are basic, helping you track calories consumed or burned (try SparkPeople!), but for a truly fun take on fitness, try apps that gamify your progress. Some insurance companies have jumped on board this trend with wellness program apps that use simple tools and rewards to keep you motivated. Other apps will even pay you for making progress! For example, the popular app Pact lets you set goals to, say, eat veggies or visit the gym a certain number of times per week. Meet your goal and you’ll bank real cash; miss it and your money will go into a common pool used to reward other users. If you can think of a barrier to exercising, there’s probably an app to help solve it. Need a bike route? Try BikeNav, which mounts to handlebars and offers step-by-step directions and tracking. Sick of sorting through nutritional labels? Download Fooducate, which allows you to scan UPC codes at the grocery store to access at-a-glance letter grades by product. Social Networking and Other Health Hubs You use online social networks to stay in touch with your friends and to browse funny and interesting Internet finds, but have you ever tried using it to work on your healthy habits? Chances are, one of your online friends is looking to get healthier, too--so why not have strength in numbers? We tend to be friends with people who have similar interests, so use your network of friends (and friends of friends) to help boost your motivation to get to the gym! Not only will the online accountability help you adhere to your program, but pairing up with like-minded friends might lead to shared offline health practices as well. If you find a long-lost bud who loves finding ways to create healthier recipes with you, you’re more likely to keep cooking and eating healthfully for years to come. Try Facebook for these connections with real-life friends, Twitter for hashtag-driven tips and Pinterest for a visually-focused way to compile workout strategies, gear, recipes and more. If you don't have a presence on one of the major social media platforms, then a niche health and fitness site might suit you better. Track your progress, play games, connect with others and more with fitness-specific social sites like SparkPeople, dailymile or MapMyFitness. Meetup Groups At Meetup.com, you can find a group for just about anything, especially if you live in or near a big city. Sure, most people join to socialize, but that doesn’t mean they’re not getting healthier, too. Join a group dedicated to hiking, vegetarian cooking or even speed walking. There’s something for everyone! Didn’t find what you wanted? Start your own group, and you’ll soon be leading the pack. Fitness Forums If you'd prefer to skip the more gamified sites and just want a targeted response to your questions (or more than one response), then focused forums can be the way to go. Community-building sites like SparkPeople or niche fitness forums such as Bodybuilding.com can be helpful for garnering specific feedback and expert opinions, all in one place. Many offer a combination of forums where you can post your progress (and your frustrations), workout videos and tips, and topic-by-topic guidelines on living with a range of chronic illnesses. For instant support, check out SparkPeople's SparkTeams; they're a great way to find like-minded individuals to join you in your journey. Try pairing your participation in a forum with some on-site research, then share your findings on Twitter and Facebook to help others. Don’t worry about experimenting; it won’t be noticeable or offensive if you create a profile but post infrequently, or end up favoring one site over another. Take some time to find what works for you! As you become healthier, there will always be fluctuations in your motivation and willingness to stick to your plans. With a range of online help at your fingertips, it’s becoming easier to find new sources of inspiration every day. Try new things until you find something that clicks with you and your lifestyle, and don't beat yourself up when your motivation is on the decline. Sometimes, taking a few days off is what your body really needs. It just might give you the push you need to try something new! About the Author Robin Donovan is a Cincinnati-based freelance writer and magazine journalist with experience covering health, medicine, science, business, technology and design. |
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