Keeping up momentum is a skill that almost everyone needs to learn. It is also a skill that comes in handy no matter your age. But as you near 40 and mid-life, momentum can begin to wane a little. It is crucial that you push past the mid-life blues and continue on your path to success in family, work, and life. From making some time to invest in yourself to motivation hacks and tracking your objectives, here are some handy suggestions to help get you through each day.
Lose a Little Excess Weight
Let’s get the hardest one out of the way. Weight gain becomes more prominent as we get older. There are reasons for this, such as not having as much time to exercise because of work and family. Yet, at 40, we still have a lot of energy, and we aren’t old just yet. Addressing weight now pays off dividends as we age. You can learn how to lose 50 pounds in 3 months with a combination of healthy nutrition, exercise, and changing your overall mindset about your life.
Invest Some Time in Yourself
With work, family, and other things in life, many of us don’t make enough time for ourselves. This is especially true of Millennials, many of whom are nearing 40 or are just over. But assessing your life will help you make meaningful changes you can use to your advantage:
- Routines help establish daily habits and rituals that provide comfort and stability.
- Journals offer an excellent method of self-reflection for delving into how you really feel.
- Have a go at learning something new that interests you, or do something you never did.
- Include your friends and family in daily talks to help hold you accountable for decisions.
There’s nothing more powerful than routine for keeping your life stable. Routines will help if you are disorganized, have a condition such as autism, or are in drug or alcohol recovery. You can compound your routine with journals that can help externalize feelings for further understanding.
Keeping Up Momentum with Yoga
Before you go running for the hills, yoga isn’t an intensive exercise that requires a god-like physique. Yes, there are types, such as power yoga, designed for the hulks among us. But there are also pretty easy forms of yoga, such as Hatha, which is the original and most basic version. It is also popular among Millennials and older people, as 43% of yoga practitioners are between the ages of 30 and 49. There are YouTube videos for beginners, and classes are everywhere.
Reward Yourself for Hitting Targets
We are almost always motivated to do something because there will be a reward. For example, we work because we get paid. We clean our homes because it is physically and mentally healthy. We save money for the things we want or need. And it is no different for your life’s goals. In fact, you are much more likely to achieve your goals if you set a specific reward for yourself. For example, buy the top-tier running shoes when you commit to a month of jogging.
Find Something You’re Passionate About
Even at 40, you may not have found something you are passionate about. And even if you have, life has a habit of getting in the way. Having something to be passionate about is a great motivator in life. For instance, if your passion is video gaming, then you will work hard to afford the expensive games you want to play. Passion is excellent for mental and emotional stability, as without something we love to do, would we not drive ourselves just a little bit insane?
Reassess Your Diet Choices
Your body changes as it ages, and it often begins in the mid-30s and 40s. If you are nearing 40 or have just hit it, now is a pivotal time to start thinking about how you approach your diet. Issues such as acid reflux, vitamin deficiencies, and inflammation become much more pronounced with age. Maybe you need to switch to decaffeinated coffee, cut out spicy food, and eat more hydrated fruits. You can still enjoy the foods you love as an occasional reward.
Learn Some Motivation Hacks
Staying motivated is a core skill that not everyone has. It can be very challenging for some people and even harder to maintain. Just cleaning the dishes can feel like a trip to Everest base camp sometimes. However, there are some small hacks you can try to get yourself going:
- Perform actions such as getting dressed and moving to encourage motivation.
- Think about reasons you will succeed in a task instead of thinking about failure.
- Staying motivated for workouts can be hard so be kind to yourself if you are struggling.
- Assess the task you are doing every 10 minutes and stop if you feel you need to.
- Remove yourself from a situation if it’s too hard, and go for a walk in nature.
- Pair tasks you don’t like with activities you do, such as music when cleaning up.
- Create a To-Do list for each day and break up personal tasks across the week.
Often, there are reasons why we can struggle to get motivated to do something. There could be issues weighing on your mind, such as money worries. Approaching tasks in an alternative way and trying to understand why you don’t like them will help find solutions to getting them done.
Ensure Goals are Realistic and Reachable
One of the biggest killers for momentum and motivation is when goals are unreasonable. Even with a positive attitude, you will unconsciously know when something cannot be achieved, and this can really set you back. Goals must be SMART, specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant. Just stating a large goal won’t get you anywhere. A large goal is more realistic when it is broken down into sub-goals you can track and achieve that contribute to the larger whole.
Find Support in Communities
One of the most powerful ways of finding support with anything in life is through community. Friends and family are an obvious choice. But not everyone has these, and even if you do, there are some issues that they may not understand. For example, your parents may not understand your addiction issues. However, community groups of people with the same experiences will. Attending local meetings is very helpful, but you can also find groups online these days too.
Develop Your Skills Further
It’s never too late to learn something new or enhance existing skills. Maybe you want a career change, which is common in mid-life. Or perhaps you have a passing interest in something. Developing skills is never a bad thing and opens you up to more opportunities. For example, as an IT engineer, cybersecurity wasn’t an issue 20 years ago. Today, it is an essential part of the job. Meetings and classes will broaden your horizons and could even end up with a pay rise.
Take It Easy when Keeping Up Momentum
It’s all too easy to be too eager. Enthusiasm is a great thing to have. But coming out of the gate too quickly can end in disaster. A little trick a lot of motivated people use is to take it easy at first by holding themselves back. Otherwise, you can burn through what you have in too little time. This is common in work and life, and around 89% of people experience some form of burnout. Progress at a steady pace and only do what you reasonably can in the time that you have.
Track Your Plans and Objectives
Making all the right moves is great. But how do you know where you are headed and if what you are doing is working? Well, you don’t unless you track your progress. Losing weight is a perfect example because it is measurable over time. It’s easy to do, and all you need to do is these:
- Monitor your weekly progress and make changes if necessary.
- Note long-term successes over the days, weeks, and months.
- Record successful changes so you can look back over them to see what worked.
- Celebrate milestones and share your successes with those close to you.
When you make notes of what you are doing and mark the results, you will form a picture of your success. For example, jogging for 30 minutes per day and measuring weight each week will show a steady weight loss decline as long as you support yourself with a good diet, too!
Keep Up the Positive Mindset
We all have those days when we don’t want to even get out of bed. And it is natural to have days where negativity is intense. However, you can’t let it win out. Staying upbeat has many benefits that will help you throughout life. It will help keep burnout at bay, stave off fatigue, and keep your mind sharp. Self-care is vital here, as it makes you feel physically and mentally healthy. And facing obstacles head-on to the best of your ability makes you a winner, not a loser.
Summary
Losing weight and dieting well as you hit 40 will help with keeping up momentum through mid-life. There are some hacks you can use to stay motivated, such as visualizing success. But staying positive, even when the chips are down, will keep you moving forward with life’s goals.