It is not difficult for most people to stick to a workout program for the first month or so. It’s fun and the gym is full of electric energy. You can’t help but go and be a part of it. Slowly though, your momentum begins to slow and you start seeing the inside of the gym, or the track at the high school, less and less.
What can you do? We all have our off days. Work drives us crazy, the kids are screaming, and on top of that we burned dinner. Okay so all of these things don’t happen at the same time, but they could. The last thing on your mind would be driving to the gym or throwing a workout tape in the VCR.
The problem with exercise is that when you miss one day it is easier to miss the second, and then the third day, and so on. Even when you enjoy it, other factors come into play. Family, work, stress, and things outside our control can all derail us at some time or another.
On the other side of the coin, you workout each day and watch what you eat. When you step on the scale after all that hard work and it hasn’t budged, that is not encouraging. It is a blow to the stomach and can send some people for the ice cream in the fridge to sooth their heartbreak.
I know many people, especially women, who ban themselves from using the scale. You can stand on it to find out your starting weight, but then use your clothes and how you feel physically as a guide for gauging how well you are doing with your weight loss program. This can make a huge difference to your self-esteem and will help keep you going.
Stay motivated by remembering why you decided it was time to lose weight in the first place. Losing weight can be the difference between living a healthy life and being on medication for conditions that are a result of obesity for the rest of your life. Knowing that you may not be alive to see your kids grow up, or grow old with your spouse can be a major motivation.
It is not the one cupcake or the one time you eat too much pizza. We all have times when we eat what we want as a way to kick back. It is falling back into our old bad habits that are the problem for most of us.
Another way to stay motivated is by changing your thinking. When you are stressed, exercise relieves stress. You don’t have to go to the gym. You can work in the garden. Ripping out weeds is a good workout and a way to beat the stress in your life. Imagine each weed is a problem you are gaining control over and pull baby pull.
Whatever it is that matters most to you, remind yourself of that fact when you feel like giving up. Post it on the wall in big neon letters if you have to, just don’t throw away the progress you’ve made. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day and you’re weight won’t all come off that fast either.
Get Fit and Stay Fit!
Kristy Lee Wilson
