I am not a motivational speaker and I have definitely find myself in situations where I just want to give up, change a course or just stop totally. Over the years, I have sorted a solution to this whether in your weight loss or fitness or living an healthy life is Progressing the most important motivating factor.
So, the question is, how do I stop waiting for the perfect time or prefect plan and so on?
Well, there is only one way to getting started: Take the bull by the horn and start, even if it’s small (Rome wasn’t built in a day). More energy and motivation comes when we see progress.
Action breeds motivation, not the other way around.
I’ve found this seven steps to help you get and stay motivated towards your goal:
✅ Know Your “Why” And Your Goal
This seems very common sense but is a step many of us skip. Do what it takes: hide in the bathroom, the closet, the shower, the car, or better yet schedule some time out and figure out the exact reason you are making changes to your life. Envision what you want to accomplish and let it play out in your mind.
Keep this in mind: you don’t need to start thinking of how you want to look at the end.
Hint: figure out a health related goal and pen it down. Then, focus on long-term health benefits and write up a clear plan on how you will achieve it.
✅Achieve Your Goals On At A Time
It doesn’t work when you jump into getting many things done at a time. Like having a fitness plan and diet change all at once, NO! Your goals must be measurable and specific to accomplish. Once you achieve a goal, then start another.
If you want to improve your diet for health reasons… start meal planning.
If you are trying to improve health and weight… measure yourself and take a before pictures, just to show how much you have achieved.
Hint: No matter what your goal is, there are always secondary value you get in return, let’s consider meal planning. Meal planning will save time, money, and mental energy in the long run and also help in sticking to the goal which is the primary aim. There are many amazing tools to make it easier which I will be discussing in one of my next posts.
✅Have A Partner
If possible, have your spouse or a friend in making these changes with you. Not only will you have the benefit of a company along the way, but will also improve long-term compliance to the plan.
There are many Apps that make accountability even easier, if you can’t get a partner. You can check the internet for them and get a suitable one for yourself.
Hint: Make sure you and your partner are on the same page on what the goal is and how to achieve it, so you don’t get derailed by debating on the smallest details in the long run!
✅Give Yourself Rewards
I say this often because it helps. Consider giving yourself non-food related rewards when you accomplish either your overall goal or one of your action steps. Looking forward to a new pair of pants in a smaller size, an evening out with your spouse or hang out with friends, or a relaxing day of some kind might help you focus on the long-term benefits of your goal rather than the short-term struggle.
Some other ideas for motivating (but healthy) rewards are:
Join a local botanical garden, museum, or park
Go for a massage at the spa
Plan a day trip somewhere you wouldn’t normally consider going
Upgrade your home gym with some new equipment
Take a day off any work or responsibility
Hint: Make a list of some new ways to reward yourself and try one of them. Whether it’s taking a class to learn a new skill or dish or a seminar, chances is a step away from your comfort zone, then you’ll be glad.
✅Create Progress Checkpoints
Basically, instead of having weekly weigh-ins or daily tracking, try periodic “checkpoints” every few weeks or even months instead. This encourages a sense of internal competitiveness without getting focused on small details. It also gives you enough time to see measurable results (rather than getting discouraged that you aren’t running triathlons or fitting into size 4 jeans after your first week of training).
Hint: Set multiple checkpoints with an increments of 8 weeks on your calendar or phone (otherwise, you’ll forget!). This is long enough for a new habit to actually sink in, not to mention stick. Compare each checkpoint to the last and try to beat it.
✅Repeat Until It Becomes An Habit
There is a saying which states “it takes 21 days to form a habit” but I would say it takes less than that if you have a system and a routine in place. In all aspects of life, healthy living is much easier to achieve if it is incorporated to a normal and regular routine. Sometimes all it takes is a challenge to get you started.
This will also help remove the mindset of “dieting” which implies an end point once a goal is reached and encourage a mindset of a permanent and healthy lifestyle change.
Hint: Make goals visual to keep them in the forefront of your mind. Write up your why, your goals, your baby steps, and post it everywhere to increase your chances of staying motivated and sticking to a new habit.
✅Keep Learning
To keep your motivation high and focused on a goal, it is often helpful to remember why you formed the goal in the first place. Taking in new information, be it health, nutrition, or fitness related, feed the desire and keep the flame burning!
Hint: Multitask and listen to an audiobook or podcast while showering, driving, or cleaning up. You might get some new tips to keep you motivated.
Where to start?
Here’s a list of possible health areas to consider:
Eat Real Food – Start consuming nutritious diet if you aren’t already and avoid processed foods.
Drink and Use Clean Water – Avoid chemicals in drinking water, use quality, filtered and neutralized water in bath or shower.
Breathe Clean Air – Purify air just by shopping for a few house plants or getting outdoors more.
Exercise More – Not exercising? Start with just 10 minutes, even if it’s yoga stretch.
Reduce Stress – Set some goals to reduce stress through meditation/prayer, diet, exercise, or my favorite, journaling.
Avoid Toxins – Decide which home cleaning or beauty products you could trade for natural versions.
Sleep Better – If you’re not sure where to start, start here! Good sleep is the foundation and in many ways more important than diet or exercise!
Remember, action in one area more often than not will lead to motivation in another!
Take A Baby Step Today!
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