MEAGER MOTIVATION? YOU'VE GOT THIS!

Remember what Kris Kringle says in the song from the movie 'Santa Claus is coming to town' by Keenan Wynn and Mickey Rooney? "Put one foot in front of the other.... and soon you'll be walking out the door.....You"ll never get where you're going, if you never get up on your feet"

Are you in a rut from time to time. We have all been there! Motivation is tough to keep up even when you’re on the right track. For example, when you’re eating healthier, temptations may make you want to go back to your old ways or If you really want to attend that evening exercise class but are feeling a bit uninspired or lazy, these techniques might just be the thing to jumpstart you.

Here are some of my tried-and-true ways to keep up my motivation when it gets tough...

1. Remember why

Remember what's important to you. Why did you start your healthy lifestyle? Was it because your doctor warned you about your health? Was it because you were tired of being tired? Wanting to have the energy to keep up with your kids? Being a good role model for your kids? Healthier lifestyle? Self care? Health and wellness? Balanced life? Whatever the reason, get back to the “why” that motivated you in the first place.

2. Change your mindset

Fresh start. Shake it off. Start fresh. Think to yourself, this is my fresh start. Everything that happened before the end of my next sentence is behind me, now I must clear the path, start fresh and create a new plan. 

3 Diffuse negativity

Lead with love. Make a choice to feed your soul. If by chance you gobbled down a bag of chocolates or your comfort food after a crazy day at work remember to be kind to yourself. In fact, If you are going to eat those chocolates, you owe it to yourself to make a conscious choice to enjoy every bite of them. Slip-ups are all part of the growing process. Put it behind you and look to the future with love, respect and trust toward yourself.

4. See it as a challenge

Make it fun. Moms with kids can tell you that you can get any kid to devour their dinner with a little challenge. Try the same trick with yourself. When you see it as something to conquer and win, it triggers the need to come out on top. Make a game out of it and go for the gold!

5. Make a timeline

Plan for success. When you are working toward your goals, aiming to lose 5 or 50 pounds can feel impossible, especially when the scale is slow to budge in your favor. Instead of focusing on that end goal, make a timeline of mini-goals to achieve. Be reasonable about them and make them tangible. Spoil yourself with something you love when each goal is accomplished. As you complete each one, you’ll feel closer to the end result, and you’ll be really proud of yourself for going for it.

6. Get support

Community changes everything. Sometimes, we feel a lack of motivation because we feel like an island on our pursuit of wellness. If you look around that island though, you’re going to find many other people doing the same things. There are always groups you can join to help stay motivated. Whether you need a workout buddy or someone that loves to share healthy recipes, joining a group with the same types of goals as you can be excellent motivation to keep going. This can be a virtual group like a Facebook group that aligns with your goals, or an in- person group. Check out Meetup.com and see what's available in your area.

Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Nothing worth having comes easy.” Quitting would be the easy thing to do. Take the challenge, and when you look back, you’re going to see you’ve come so much further than you ever imagined."

Get up and move, keep up, you must, get inspired again! 

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