In It For The Long Haul

     In my personal experience, staying motivated to be healthy in fit is not easy. Birthdays, holidays, Fridays and really just being awake are big triggers for me when it comes to unhealthy eating. And, as you probably could have guessed, the unhealthy eating results in me feeling sluggish so I definitely do NOT exercise.  So how do stay focused and disciplined with all of the stressors and temptations flying around you?

 

     I've heard a lot of people say the trick to staying on course is to make a lot of small goals. Micro sized. I'm talking "walk 15 mins, 3 days a week." From there, your goals will gradually get bigger, but never being more than one day at a time. For many, this system has proven effective, however, for me, it's my pot hole. I am a "big picture" kind of person, so when my goals are so small, I have a hard time celebrating and feeling victory over my progress. So I just don't even attempt to achieve it.

     For me, I have found the most effective form of motivation is competition, whether with myself or a group of people. I do not like to lose and that has proven to be my secret weapon for weight loss. Last year, I wasted 6 months going in circles with my weight because I just could not find any real desire to push myself. Sure, losing weight was what I wanted, but it was not enough to push me like I needed to be pushed. However, when I entered my first challenge group, a switch flipped- there was no way I was going to lose to ANYONE. I worked my butt off and won that first challenge. That was when I realized I was fueled by success and triumph.

     There's something about competing that keeps you accountable for your choices. I certainly did not want to be the one in the group who had not exercised and who was still sneaking fast food. I wanted to appear committed and driven and the only way to do that was to actually BE committed and driven with my workout schedules and clean eating. You can not fake physical progress.

     Everyone, I'm sure, is motivated by different things, but I am grateful to have found what works well for me. So whether its my birthday, the end of a long week or even if I'm just awake,  I am much more equipped to fight my temptations than when I first began this process.  Bring it on holiday season!