Getting started with training is always such an incredible first step in your fitness journey. The excitement, the enthusiasm, everything seems to fall in place seamlessly. Even if you miss a workout, or you indulge a little bit, that enthusiasm for getting started doesn’t ever seem to go away.

While this usually seems to be the case with a lot of women in the first phase of their workout program, sometimes old habits die hard and in phase two that enthusiasm may take a back seat when life gets busy. Training might become a little less fun, tracking your macros isn’t on point as you would like it to be. And one of the biggest reasons that I see this kind of thinking develop is the discouragement from not seeing a physical change fast enough.

THE JOURNEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE DESTINATION

I totally understand where the discouragement might be coming from, BUT TRUST THE PROCESS. So what if your changes are not as fast as someone else’s – comparisons do you NO GOOD. Change doesn’t happen overnight. If you trust the process, allow yourself to become accepting of who you are and where you are in this journey, how far you’ve already come, lift big, and track your macros – I promise those changes that you are looking for will be right around the corner.

We all get tired, we all get busy, and we all get discouraged. But don’t let that stuff keep you down, because loving yourself and putting your health first is the simplest way to change your life.

So if you are struggling to kick your workouts into high-gear or you want to focus on tracking your macros more carefully, check out the list below on what I suggest to get back into the gym, throw some heavy weights on that barbell and get back to work!

5 STRATEGIES FOR TAKING YOUR TRAINING TO THE NEXT LEVEL:

Identify Your Weaknesses – Sometimes training and eating are all about adjustments. You’ve been trying to eat broccoli every day, but can’t seem to enjoy your meals. That’s totally ok! Instead opt for other green veggies. You should never force yourself into making a lasting change, try different approaches and find what makes you happy.

Review Your Program – Taking a second look back through your program can sometimes help motivate you to get back to it. Instead of focusing on that workout you missed in Phase 1, look forward to how awesome the workouts are and how awesome you’ll feel in Phase 3!

Plan, Plan, Plan – You can’t always plan when you get sick, or when a spontaneous trip comes up, but planning for everything else is a huge help! Getting your gym clothes organized, planning out all your meals, and planning your schedule around your gym sessions are huge opportunities to create a routine that best fits you and your busy lifestyle.

Don’t be Scared to Change Things up – Sometimes you just need a change of pace. We all go through emotional and physical plateaus, so change is a good thing. If you’re feeling like you need to change things up, go ahead and make those changes, change your food, change your routine, change your playlist, heck even change gyms, sometimes changing our environment can impact us more than we think.

Life comes at you fast. Getting sick, tired, and discouraged happens to everyone at one time or another. But that’s ok! What’s not ok, is getting down on yourself, feeling like you aren’t worth the change, or that you need to quit because you feel like you can’t do it. I promise you that with a little consistency, and some self-love, big changes will come your way!

When you need extra motivation, check out the hashtag #jessiesgirls3k on Instagram to see how many different types of women are KILLING IT and powering through the ups and downs of the Jessie’s Girls 3k Challenge.