This is true to an extent, but I just want to make a small adjustment. In reality a lot of us don’t start out with motivation, we start out with DETERMINATION!
This means that we have a reason for wanting to change, and we force ourselves to work out and eat right even when we really don’t want to.Let’s call this reason our “WHY”. Each of us has some reason that we want to live healthier and change our habits. For many, that reason is to be healthier for their children so that they can live longer and experience more. For me, it was to regain confidence and take charge of my life. A lot of people that are overweight and obese struggle with depression and self-hate, and I fell into that category when I started this journey.The “why” for those in that category would be to eliminate those negative feelings so that they can finally be happy.
There are so many more reasons why one would choose this new path, and no matter the reason, you just have to hold on to it! Remind yourself each and every day of why you chose to do this and why you not only want to do this, but NEED to do this. Just think about where you want to be, and tell yourself that you can get there, but you have to keep going. The time is going to pass no matter what, so it is better to keep at it than give up because it will mean the difference between either reaching your goals at the end of a given timeframe and NOT reaching your goals.
That first few weeks of your journey will be the toughest because it is a MENTAL battle, and that part can actually be harder than the physical battle in some ways. Over time you will start seeing results, and that is when motivation really kicks in. You’ll be like “Hey, look at me, I feel GREAT!”, you will start to see people take notice of your progress, and you will fall in love with the feeling you get from these experiences. It is at this point that you become really motivated to continue, because you will want to continue having those experiences.
Once you start to enjoy what you are doing, and you realize that clean eating and regular exercise really DOES make a difference, those life choices turn into habits. To help you get there, I have a little exercise for you to do!
I want you to really start to think about your “WHY”. Then I want you to create a vision board based on your own personal why. You can do this on your computer as a collage if you want, you can do it by printing things off, you can even do it by cutting from magazines. Whatever you prefer, go with that. I want you to put the things that motivates you to want to be healthier and fit on this vision board where you will see them EVERY DAY.
For example, if I were to do a vision board based on what motivated me when I started out it would feature things like beaches, bikinis, women smiling and laughing, confident ladies, wearing cute skirts and dresses again, being confident in social situations, traveling the world, stuff like that. Those are things that motivated me to want to change my life for the better, so I want you to think about, and find photos of, the things that do this for you.
If it is a paper copy, hang it somewhere you visit often. If it is a computer copy, use it as a desktop! This will remind you of why you are working for this, and will hopefully help keep you motivated. Feel free to send me your vision boards to hfmxj@stu.ca, I would love to see them! I may even choose my favorite to feature on my blog ;)
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