|
Getting motivated--and staying motivated--can be difficult, and when temptations abound, it seems like the world is conspiring to keep you indoors, on the couch and stuck in your unhealthy life. Instead of viewing temptations as roadblocks, think of them as motivators--the devil on your shoulder, if you will. Their presence in your life should be just what you need to keep you from losing momentum, standing still or taking a break from your healthy journey. If you stop, they'll get you; if you stay one step ahead, you'll always come out on top. Temptations are like misunderstood Muses. They give you the chance to be creative while reaching your goals. Temptation No. 1: Sleeping in or hitting the snooze alarm. Inspiration: Taking care of your body. Get your eight hours a night. If you're consistently sleeping through your alarm or hitting the snooze bar more than twice, consider changing your sleep schedule. Try to head to bed earlier--even just 15 or 30 minutes can make a difference. To help you stay healthy and manage your weight, you need adequate sleep. Sleep loss affects the levels of certain hormones, which can in turn affect your metabolic processes and adversely affect your health. Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety. When we don’t get adequate sleep, we accumulate a sleep debt that can be difficult to "pay back" if it becomes too big. The resulting sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, negative mood and behavior, decreased productivity, and safety issues in the home, on the job, and on the road. Sleep loss also can cause a lack of desire to achieve goals because you feel fatigued and "run down." Sleep is also important in developing lean muscle tissue. When you work out, you are actually tearing your muscles – sleep and proper nutrients help rebuild the muscle so that you get stronger. Temptation No. 2: Grabbing takeout or stopping at a drive-thru. Inspiration: Making smart choices. Ideally, you should drive by the drive-thru and cook healthful meals at home every night. However, not all takeout is created equal, and you can find some healthful options at chain restaurants and even your neighborhood deli. See this temptation as a challenge to be creative and bring home a healthful meal when you're in a hurry. Plan ahead if you can, build a meal around vegetables and choose small portions to keep your takeout from taking away your self-control. (Find hundreds of tips and strategies to help you make smart, healthy choices when you're away from home here.) Continued › |
|
SparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
Motivation Articles › Picking Yourself Back UpFinding Inspiration In Your Biggest TemptationsChange the Way You Look at Obstacles on Your Journey-- By Stepfanie Romine, Staff WriterSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
Related Content
Stay in Touch With SparkPeople
About The Author
Stepfanie Romine
A former newspaper reporter, Stepfanie now writes about nutrition, health, fitness and cooking. She is a certified Ashtanga yoga teacher who enjoys running, international travel and all kinds of vegetables. See all of Stepfanie's articles. 
|
Summer's not over yet! There's still plenty of time to tone up and bust out that swimsuit for one last hurrah. Get results in just 15 minutes per week with this plan--no excuses!
Read More
Reverse Grip Triceps Pulldown on Cable Cross Machine
A reverse grip adds challenge to this exercise.
A reverse grip adds challenge to this exercise.
Get a personalized diet and fitness plan, great newsletters, post to our message boards, and even your own personal SparkPage!
Join Now For Free!
Join Now For Free!
Member Comments
"You know how great you feel when you finish a workout: You feel refreshed, revived and rejuvenated, strong, confident and happy."
I have never ever ever felt "refreshed, revived and rejuvenated" after a workout. Never. Even when I was in junior high, high school, or college, and I wasn't overweight or out of shape then. Always have hated exercise. - 8/19/2011 12:53:43 AM
nding. I'm sure overweight people have far more videos than their "fit" friends, have lost hundreds more pounds in their lives and perhaps have even better insight into which ones would be fun for me.
I would say I'm being overly sensitive to body culture issues, but I've read tons of these articles without hearing the tires come to a screeching halt. That's one of the things I love about this sight. I may not have agreed with all of the concepts I've read, but I never felt I was being talked down to, or that anything was so off in tone as this tiny remark.
- 8/18/2010 1:41:56 PM
Also what you said about emotional eating really helped as well. Thanks for the article! - 12/5/2009 3:02:30 PM