Motivation is easy to come by and hard to stick to. We're all motivated to look and feel good. Nobody wakes up and hopes to be obese with high cholesterol or to be the lady that gets winded after half a flight of stairs. But lots of us end up there! Life happens and we let our motivation fall short - we don't connect our intentions with our actions!!! If this is you, I'm not hating or judging - I'm relating.
I didn't want to be a 25 year old who sat on the closet floor and cried because she hated how she
looked. I was a lifelong athlete! When my BMI fell into the obese category, I justified it with the "big bone" excuse. But I still cried. I still hated how I looked. But then, I'd go eat cheese fries after I found an outfit I thought was presentable. Doesn't make much sense, does it?
Over the past year, I have learned how to keep my goals and actions more in line. Of course I still screw up and over-indulge every once in a while, but I have been able to lose and keep 45 pounds OFF so I am doing something right!!
Here are some of the ways I have been able to keep that motivation up and keep me from throwing in the towel!
- Put a picture of your goal body on your bathroom mirror. This is not to facilitate more self-hatred. It’s for motivation. And I’m not talking about taping a picture of Adriana Lima up in your bathroom (though your husband probably wouldn’t mind). I’m talking about a HEALTHY example of woman who has a body you desire. Think about your size, bone structure, etc. This can even be a picture of YOU in your prime!!!
- Tape the date of a major event (your wedding, a vacation, etc.) and your goal weight or size to the fridge and pantry. This will help you to think twice while your staring into your fridge at 10:15 at night because you’re bored and/or exhausted. It will encourage the voice in your head to remind you to step away from the temptation!
- Tell your partner in crime what you are doing and WHY you are doing it. When you share your PERSONAL why with your spouse, best friend, mom, sister… your “person”… they will be ten times more likely to support you. Anyone can want to lose weight. When you tell someone you want to lose weight so you can play on the floor with your kids again, it’s going to make them more likely to help you.
- Stay away from temptation!!! Don’t walk into a candy store. Don’t bring home two bag’s of M&M’s and expect for them to just live in your fridge. It’s basically inhumane to put chocolate in my presence and expect me not to eat it… don’t make it harder on yourself. Self-sabotage sucks.
- Don’t forget the other side of the coin… keep GOOD food around! Keep fruits and vegetables washed in the fridge. And don’t hide them in drawers! Keep them at eye level on the shelves! That way when you do stare into the fridge when you are hungry (or bored), you’ll be likely to grab the good stuff! Grocery stores keep the things they want you to buy at eye level – keep the things you know you should eat at the same place at home! Do the same in the pantry! You'll get added kick of self-confidence every time you make the right decision!
- PLAN AHEAD. This one’s really important. They minute you say “I’ll try to workout tomorrow” or “I’m going to buckle down and try to eat healthy this week” is the minute you fail. Yep. Before you even start. Saying you will TRY is giving you an automatic EXCUSE. Plan to succeed. Sure, trip ups might still happen, but at least you’ve put a little more pressure on yourself to stay on track! Plan your meal, schedule your workouts, don’t skip a thing. Plus, again, your self-confidence increases with each workout!
- Join an accountability group and PARTICIPATE. Having a place you can go to like an online challenge group where you can post about successes and struggles is SO helpful. It is what changed the game for me! It doesn’t matter that some of the people in there have 10 pounds to lose and you have 100. You don’t know where they started and you don’t know what they can teach you! Be open and be active!
- Follow fitness accounts on social media. It seems silly, but the ideas and motivation you get are endless! It helps to fill your mind with things related to your goal!
- Find a workout program that you LOVE. If you hate spinning, chances are you won’t be making it to spin class. Dreading your workout is miserable and makes it damn near impossible to stick to! If you love to go out and dance with your girls, pick a dance inspired program! If you did martial arts as a child and love to throw a punch, then try kickboxing! If you need low-intensity, don’t sign up for something that involves a boat load of jumping! Find something you actually enjoy doing!
- Find a workout BUDDY too! Someone you can text and tell them you got your sweat on! Research shows that when you are on a mission to get healthy with a friend you are more likely to succeed! Get your mom, sister, or BFF on board with you!
- Know your WHY and stick to it (<--- ***most important!!!). Do this for the right reason. Do it to get your health back. Do it to show your kids that they can do anything they set their minds to. Whatever your motivation, do it for YOU and YOUR FAMILY. You are amazing – they deserve to have you around for along time.
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