So you’ve started on your fitness journey and sure, for the first couple of weeks, you’d jump at the chance to get in a workout or get excited about meal prep. But lately, you’ve slowed down, skipped a couple of gym days and traded in your healthy meal plan for takeout food. Keeping motivated is probably just as hard as starting the journey and the more you’re without it, the more likely you’ll fall back into your old patterns.

Don’t fret! With these tips, you’re sure to keep that motivation streak going and get one step closer to finally fulfilling your fitness goals.

There’s an app for everything

Let’s face it. We take our phones everywhere and that includes our gym and workout sessions. While it’s most obvious use is to supply you with your personal background music for that pretend fitness montage you’re imagining, it’s also quite a helpful tool to keep motivated. How? With a great fitness app!

You might not know it but your phone’s native fitness app is actually great to keep you motivated to lose weight or to keep working out. Whether Google Fit for Android or Apple Health for iPhone, these apps keep track of the basic information you’ll need to pay attention to your fitness journey. Though, when comparing the two, Google Fit is more versatile in terms of third-party and cross-platform capabilities.

If you do run on a purely Apple ecosystem (Apple Watch, Macbook, etc.), then it won’t be too much of a problem. And despite using different technologies to collect data, these two apps are able to collect steps made and calories burned, log and graph body measurements, as well as track workouts and daily activities. You can even set your own goals for things like minimum step count per day and move minutes so the app can remind you.

Apart from monitoring your basic statistics, seeing your progress through numbers, charts, and graphs can surprisingly provide a boost in motivation. As long as you keep a proper mindset, data that these apps collect will drive you further towards your goal. And once you’ve got that set up, the next best thing to do is to give your app a partner…

Invest in a fitness band or smartwatch

This may not be a necessity for everybody but it’s definitely a great investment for those who want to maximize their fitness journey. With a fitness band or smartwatch, you have a dedicated device that can not only show you information at a glance but also provide extra pertinent data to help you closely monitor the effectiveness of your workout. Some fitness bands, like the Garmin Forerunner, have a built-in heart monitor which continuously tracks your heart rate. Knowing how fast your heart beats during a workout is actually a great deal of help in keeping your workouts efficient and effective.

There are also some watches with features such as water intake reminders, workout trackers, and reminders which are meant to help motivate you. You definitely won’t find it difficult to find the right device for you whether it be feature-packed with all the bells-and-whistles you can possibly ask for or something cute and functional that goes really well with your gym outfit. This brings us once more to the next item on our list.

Dress for success

Think of working out or going to the gym as an event and that it’s an opportunity to dress up and look your best. Not to mention, it’s a scientifically proven fact that wearing something that makes you feel great can lead to you performing better with the task at hand. In the study by Science Direct, they found that “clothes systematically influence wearers’ psychological processes”.

Basically, if you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you essentially get excited to do things including working out. One of the most important things to remember is that you don’t need to look like some fitness Instagrammer (unless you really want to) but to wear clothes that make you feel confident and comfortable.

Grab a buddy

One of the many challenges of hitting the gym or working out is getting discouraged when seeing other people who are already incredibly fit. It’s completely normal to feel vulnerable at the gym especially when you’re just starting out but don’t let that hinder you from continuing on your fitness journey.  A quick fix to this is to find yourself a fitness buddy so you can feel more comfortable. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have reported that having a partner or companion while you work out is a great tool for motivation and leads to an increased amount of exercise.

Even if you and your partner don’t share the same fitness goals, as long as you are both emotionally supportive of each other, motivation and productivity increase. Dr. Rackow of the University of Aberdeen reports that “the emotional social support from the new sports companion was the most effective. Thus, it is more important to encourage each other than doing the actual activity together. “

Alternative workout

There are just days when you don’t feel like leaving the house to work out. This is fine once in a while but the danger is if it becomes a habit and you end up abandoning your fitness goals altogether. The best way to remedy this is to find an alternative workout that you can do at home. Sure there are tons of videos online but if you have a Nintendo Switch lying around, you should definitely give Ring Fit a try!

This isn’t just an instructional workout video but a fully actualized game, with boss battles and everything. The Ring Fit works with a special round controller which you connect your Joy-Cons to and a leg strap to help monitor movements (i.e. no cheating). This RPG will have you squatting, jumping, running, and squeezing your way to victory. You won’t even feel like you’re working out but you will definitely feel the sweat. It may not be the most intense workout you’ll have but the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is consistency and the Ring Fit can definitely help with that.

BONUS: HAVE A PROPER MINDSET

All of the things mentioned above can definitely help motivate you in attaining your fitness goals, but the most important thing to have is still a proper mindset. You can have the best outfits or gear but your intention will be the most effective force in driving up your motivation.

Find an intention that’s sincere and close to your heart. Whether it’s as simple as wanting to do something you’ve never done before, a move to avoid future illnesses, or even just because you feel you deserve a fit and healthy body.

Fitness isn’t just about the amount of muscle you build or fat you burn, it’s a choice to keep you and your body healthy. This, in turn, will positively affect your outlook on life and on yourself.