Need Motivation?

If you're looking at this blog, you've shown that you have an interest in your health...and most likely, this isn't the first time a "weightloss" article has caught your eye. Maybe you've struggled for years with trying to lose weight. Maybe you're prone to those magazines in the grocery aisle that claim "Lose 20 lbs This Week Without Giving Up Your Faves". If so, let me encourage you.

First, congratulations on acknowledging you need to do something different in your life as far as your health goes. Being aware of a problem is the first step toward solving it!

Second, you need to begin evaluating exactly what your problem is! And it's easy here to gloss over reality. "But I exercise every day for 30 minutes"....except for when I'm too tired to do it one day, or the babysitter fell through so I couldn't do it today, or I started my period yesterday so I skipped it... You get the picture. We generalize and tell ourselves that our eating habits aren't that bad or that we indeed move our bodies. But if you're overweight, outside of some health issue such as a thyroid condition, then you probably aren't being totally honest with the reality of your daily habits. So, if you're painfully honest with yourself, do you have a problem with eating before bed, or eating too much fast food, or drinking three sodas a day, or eating mostly processed foods - rarely fresh or raw foods, or eating until you're stuffed, or choosing portion sizes fit for a king, or eating all your kids' leftovers for fear of "waste not, want not", or driving in a parking lot for 15 minutes waiting for a close parking spot, or waiting for an elevator for five minutes when stairs would only take two, or finding after dinner, you mostly enjoy your remote control for company until bed? Be brutally honest here. So what if the answer doesn't cast you in the best light? YOU'RE the only one asking the question, so YOU'RE the only one who needs to know the answer! But it's imperative you evaluate yourself....you can't make improvements if you don't know where to improve!

Third, resist the "easy" way out. Those advertisements promising weightloss while still being able to eat all your favorite foods... C'mon, you're not that gullible are you??? Or ads telling you to take one pill a day and watch the fat melt off? Let's engage the brain. There is an order to our human bodies, a logical, scientific way our bodies operate. Here's a formula: Decreased calories + exercise/movement = weightloss. OR: Change one poor eating habit + exercise/movement = better health. Simple. It's not a glitzy slogan and it involves self-discipline, so it's a hard sell. But it's truth. Don't lie to yourself any more. Be willing to embrace truth, and once you've discovered truth, act upon it. You didn't get in your unhealthy state overnight - and you're not going to get your health back overnight. Be patient, but be true to yourself.

Fourth, let me encourage you to focus on the big picture. Don't be deceived into the tunnel vision of the weightloss mentality. Set your sights and your goal on improving your health! If you're only concerned about weightloss, you'll load up on diet sodas and eat processed "nonfat" cookies, and be tempted to skip exercise since you're eating "nonfat" foods, etc. If you focus on health, you'll begin to be discerning in what you choose to put in your mouth....you might pass on a diet soda in lieu of a water. You might choose whole-wheat toast instead of white. A big bowl of strawberries might suffice for dessert instead of "nonfat, low-sugar" ice cream. AND, you'll still realize the value of moving your body (exercise) since that is part of the equation to a stronger, healthier body.

Fifth, you CAN do this. Every year, there are thousands of women who begin to take control of their health and change their lives for the better. They say no to lying to themselves about the reality of their daily habits and they begin to show respect for themselves by caring for their bodies. The impetus for change is different for each woman - but something clicks within that causes the desire and motivation to make a lasting change. For me, it was my mother's and sister's death. For you, it might be not being able to keep up or play with your children, maybe your children's friends have made comments about their mommy, maybe you're beginning to experience health problems and realize it's because of choices you've made in the past, or maybe it's as simple as seeing age taking it's toll on an out-of-shape body. Again, the reasons will vary, but you need to dig down deep within yourself and find the reason why it is worth making this effort toward a lasting change. If you have to, write it down, post it on the mirror in the bathroom, or on your scale. Remind yourself as often as necessary WHY you need to better your health...

Respect yourself! You are valuable and worth the effort!!!!!