Once summer is over there are a lot of us who give up trying to get that bikini body and we slip back into those old bad habits with food and exercise. However, what about those of us who didn’t even try during the summer? If you haven’t exercised for a long time or at all, you might be thinking about trying to get fit and healthy to increase your confidence and gain a lean figure. Finding motivation to get up and change your habits can be harder than it looks, but I have some handy tips to help you stay on track.

Know your reason

It is important when you start out exercising in any capacity that you understand the reasons why you are doing it. For a lot of us it is simply to feel fit and healthy, but maybe you want to train for a run or lose a certain amount of weight to fit into an outfit. Whatever your reason may be, make sure you keep this in your mind at all times and this should start to drive you forward and allow you to succeed in your goals.

Buy new sportswear

One of the things which could be a little more surprising that helps us to get fit is to buy new clothes. Money is money and no one likes to waste money on something they won’t use, this is why female sportswear encourages girls to get active and the same applies to men. If you go out and buy a stunning sports bra and a pair of leggings you will want to wear them, and once you are wearing them you will naturally feel inclined to do exercise.

Join a gym

The gym is a place which understandably can drive fear into even the strongest heart. The idea of working out in front of strangers and making a mistake can stop many of us from even wanting to go. However, the gym is a place which will make you want to get fit and move. As soon as you step inside the gym you will want to use the machines, you’ll want to test your body and see how far you can push yourself. Getting a gym membership is one of the best things you can do to stay fit.

Play sports with friends

If the gym really isn’t your thing and you don’t enjoy weights and treadmills, there are plenty of other ways to keep fit and make sure that you are lean. One of the ways to do this is to start playing a sport with your friends. Choose a random sport you’ve never done before and start going to classes together. It will be a fun experience because you are spending it with friends and even if you are no good you will still be burning a lot of calories when you go.

Workout first thing in the morning

Working out at home or going for a run can be one of the hardest things to make ourselves do of all. However, if you can manage to drag yourself straight out of bed without overthinking and get the workout done and dusted, you will have the rest of the day free to enjoy. Working out first thing can also be beneficial due to the fact it is faster and this means that your body will have no choice but to take energy from fat cells rather than from any food you have consumed.

Be held accountable

Motivating yourself to keep fit is one of the biggest challenges of all and it can be incredibly hard for us to keep ourselves in track without caving in with our urges to eat pizza and cheese and sit on the sofa all day. If you really want to get fit and make sure that you hit your goals you need to ask someone else to track your improvement. It could be your partner, your mum or Dad or your friend. Tell them your goals and your timeline and let them keep you accountable by checking your weight and your progress over the weeks. This is the best way to make sure that you can’t dip out and give up.

Take photographs

Photographs of our body can be the most horrible thing to take in the world. If you are self conscious it can feel like a chore to take a photo of yourself but it is something you need to do. You might not see your own progress looking in a mirror, but it is very clear on a photograph. If you take a photo every 2 weeks you will notice the difference in yourself and you will feel amazing. It will motivate you to continue what you are doing to reach your goals.