Tips for staying motivated long term!

My no. 1 tip; accept that you won't feel motivated/inspired/excited about this all the time. You just won't, and you can't rely on those feelings to have success.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to lose weight/get fit/get healthy - they are what got you started, and those reasons (and maybe new noes along the way) will motivate you again from time to time, but a lot of the time, it's boring. Losing weight is boring. Planning and logging your intake is boring. Exercise can be boring, and if you're tired - there can be any number of things that seem more inviting. So look at creating sustainable habits so that you do what you need to do, even when it's not fun or exciting any more.

Decide what you need to do (for me, it's tracking all my food, preparing my lunches ahead of time at the weekend, exercising 5-6 days a week, and getting up early to fit exercise in) and make those things non-negotiable.

Think of all the things you do in life just because you need to do them, not because you feel all motivated to do them at the time. I don't really like my job at the moment, but I go everyday regardless, because it's important to me to be employed. There's no way I'm not going to go in just because I don't feel like it, or because the sun's shining and I'd really rather sit and read in the garden. So, I don't even give myself the option. I don't stand there in the morning thinking "shall I go to work? Maybe I'll just stay at home today" - it's not going to happen, so why torture myself with the option? So, same with exercise. I don't question whether or not I'm going to do it, I just do it and if it's a day when I'm not really feeling like it, I just get it done so I can move on to more fun parts of my day. So, don't give yourself the option.

At the same time, make it as easy for yourself as possible. Choose exercise that you enjoy doing, or at least can tolerate. If you're getting bored of what you're doing, try something new. I personally hate exercise videos, so don't do them, and I don't like indoor cardio machines, so I avoid them as much as possible. I prefer running outside, so that's what I do. For others, it might be swimming, or a dance class, or martial arts. Finding something that you can set obvious goals in helps too, as then you're not just exercising for the sake of exercise, but you're driven by wanting to run faster, lift heavier, compete in a race, learn new dance moves, go up a belt in karate... or whatever!

I struggle with energy levels quite a lot, as well as depression and anxiety, and often I have to push myself to go and exercise, but I've set targets for myself that I will at least go and run x number of km, or lift weights for x number of sets. then, if I still feel rubbish, I get to go home and I've at least done something. Very often, once I'm out there, I do more anyway. In fact, once I've got changed into my workout clothes, that's half the battle already.

Same thing with food - make sure you're still eating the foods you really love to eat and haven't gone all "on a diet". I don't have to be motivated to eat what I eat, because it's all food I love. Ok, I can't eat it in unlimited quantities, but at least I don't feel like I'm missing out on certain favourite foods.

And just try to keep in mind the deeper reasons why you're doing this in the first place. For me, I know that regular exercise makes my depression/anxiety much easier to manage, so that's a major motivator. I also really, really want to avoid the health problems that run in my family, and seeing my parents struggle with their health, and watching other older people around me struggle - I know how important it is to stay fit and strong, and be active, and a healthy weight. I count my lucky stars that I am able to do something about it now while I have time. And then you know, I just really didn't like being fat. I really like not being fat. The benefits of being a healthy weight are all worth the effort that goes into it.

Have a look at this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818701-the-myth-of-motivation-and-what-you-need-instead