How do you stay motivated and find inspiration to stick with your program?
Nothing motivates me better than a song I can rock out to. Find a genre that gets you going and build a workout list to pump you up! Before you know it you are going an extra ten minutes to hear your favorite song on the playlist!
For every pound I lost, I put $5 in an envelope in a bureau drawer. If I gained a pound, out came the $5. I never "borrowed" from it. I only put in money when a whole pound was lost. When I reached goal I had enough to treat myself and my new body to a day at a spa!
Start each and every day like it's the first day of your diet. You get a second chance to start all over each and every day. You start each day with a fresh slate. Don't worry about what you did yesterday. You can do it!!!
Even if you've eaten garbage all day, and you're feeling down on yourself, just log in. Collect your points, read articles, and remember why you're doing this. I always log in and it always helps me get back on track, even if I gorged on cookies at lunch!
After I stumble I become less motivated and sometimes find it hard to get myself back on track. I heard a quote that helps remind me to keep at it. I don't know who said it but it helps me. "You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there."
When you don't feel like working out, tell yourself to only do 10 minutes.
After you have exercised for the 10 minutes chances are you will continue on for the whole workout.
"Hey i've gone this far. I can do 20 more minutes."
When I think about the weight I have lost, I think of it as the 3 pound cans of Crisco. I have lost over 60 pounds which would be like carrying 20 cans of Crisco. Can you imagine carrying 20 cans of Crisco everywhere you go. I have about 23 cans to go (69 pounds).
I occasionally eat foods I wasn't planning to, or miss a scheduled exercise session. When I do that I forgive myself and just move on. My motto is "progress, not perfection".
Don't continually look how far you still have to go in your journey to health. Remember to look back to remind yourself just how far you've come!! You may not be where you want to be yet, but you certainly aren't where you used to be!! And that's progress!
If you did it today, you can do it tomorrow. If you didn't do it today, you can still do it tomorrow.
If you are working toward your goal, sometimes you have to change your action steps. Not all work the same for everyone.
Keep on keeping on!