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8. Share your goals. Whether you post them on the Message Boards or share them with a friend, you’ll be more accountable. 9. Exercise for 10 minutes. Jump rope, march in place, or do some crunches. Small amounts do add up to something big! 10. Find a buddy. Get support from friends, whether you need someone to listen or a mentor to give you ideas and encouragement. 11. Take a walk. Don’t worry about how long or far you go—just get out there! 12. Create a motivational collage. Include pictures of your goal and reasons why you want to get there. 13. Go shopping for some healthy foods. Use this shopping list for ideas. 14. Check the nutrition facts before you go out to eat. That way, you can make an informed choice. 15. Ride your bike. Even a leisurely ride has benefits for your body and mind. 16. Work in the yard. Gardening and yard work is a great way to add activity to your day. 17. Take the stairs. Even if this is the only thing you do all day, you’ll feel stronger for it. 18. Rack up those SparkPoints! You earn them for every healthy task you do on the site—talk about motivating! Aim for a certain milestone, such as 100 points, and then reward yourself with a SparkGoodie! 19. Listen to an inspirational song. Better yet, make a playlist of them so you can turn to it whenever you need a boost. 20. Re-start your SparkPeople program. Sometimes it’s easier to get back on track when you have a clean slate. 21. Measure your portions. It’s a simple way to learn how much you’re eating. 22. Eat a piece of fruit. Even if 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables sounds impossible to you, one is doable. 23. Slow down during meals. You’ll be less likely to overeat and more likely to enjoy your meal. 24. Play! What kids call “play,” we often call “exercise.” Play a sport, a game, or use the playground equipment to bring the fun back into fitness. 25. Learn something new. Sometimes simply taking a quiz or reading an article about nutrition, fitness, or health can change your mindset and get you back on track. In tennis, losing one point isn’t the end of the world. It happens to the best of them. In fact, if you can consistently win a few more points that you lose, you may end up in the hall of fame. With healthy eating and exercising, as long as you’re consistently out-stepping your steps back, you’re ahead of the game. If you expect perfection (and many of us do), you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and guilt. You CAN get back on track today. Even if you’re moving slowly, you’ll be moving in the right direction! |
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Motivation Articles › Picking Yourself Back Up25 Ways to Get Back on Track TodayDon't Give Up on Your Goals!-- By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor & Health EducatorSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
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About The Author
Nicole Nichols
Nicole was named "America's Top Personal Trainer to Watch" in 2011. A certified personal trainer and fitness instructor with a bachelor's degree in health promotion and education, she loves living a healthy and fit lifestyle and helping others do the same. Her DVDs "Total Body Sculpting" and "28 Day Boot Camp" (a best seller) are available online and in stores nationwide. Read Nicole's full bio and blog posts. Follow Coach Nicole Online:   
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If people only ate when they felt true hunger, few of us would struggle with our weight. So why (and where) are we eating so much, and what can we do about it? Start here.
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Balancing Seated Torso Twists with Medicine Ball
Tighten your core with this twisting move!
Tighten your core with this twisting move!
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Member Comments
I came back to SP tired, discouraged, and afraid that I would still not be able to make any progress. With a have-to-do health threat hanging over my head, I want to be enthusiastic about setting out on this journey, but I haven't built up any steam yet. - 5/20/2013 2:00:10 PM
Will let you all know my progress, wish me luck :) - 5/12/2013 9:00:27 PM
- 4/12/2013 12:54:53 PM
mmmmmmmmm - 2/8/2013 10:25:38 PM