Keep Your Motivation Going Strong

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Here is the Meeting Summary from Saturday, October 1st, 2011.

In the meeting room last week I opened with a very important question for everyone to ask themselves, "Why Am I Doing This?". I passed out straws and asked my members to think and share about their last straw moment. This is the moment where they knew that they had to make a change.

When starting a new project, most of us vow to attack it full throttle, with the goal of seeing our project through to the end. Indeed, desire and motivation are a dynamite duo. The former gets us going, the latter keeps us on track.

Yet after the initial excitement, motivation can wane. This is especially true when difficult times throw you off track or roadblocks appear.

No matter what the task, there's usually some obstacle or temptation to keep us from our goal. That's why it's so important to stay positive.

Top 10 attitude enhancers
Keep your mind focused on your goals. Here's how:

1. Celebrate the here and now
As long as you're committed to your plan today, you're succeeding because you're taking charge of your life. Focusing on goals that are far in the future can sap motivation.

2. Change your language
Scratch negative phrases from your vocabulary. Instead of saying "No," "I can't" or "I'll try," substitute the positive. Say: "Yes!" "I can" and "I will." For example, instead of saying "I won't overeat" or "I mustn't have chocolate," say "I will track my food and stay within my budget."

3. Create visual inspiration
Find a photo of yourself before you started your weight-loss plan. Tack it on the refrigerator, a bedroom or bathroom mirror or inside the food cupboard. As you reach new goals, take new pictures, visually marking your progress.

4. Weigh in
Weigh in at your weekly meeting, and track your results. Look at your overall progress and visualize that chart whenever you're tempted by less-than-healthy choices.

5. Partner up
Exercising with friends is always more enjoyable. Schedule days to meet with your partner, and if one of you tries to bow out, act as the other's conscience. Or participate in a Community fitness Challenge if you're looking for virtual buddies.

6. Steer clear of sabotage
Avoid people who put you down for trying to lose weight, or who encourage you to eat too much. Often these folks feel threatened by your weight loss.

7. Set mini goals
Start with aiming to lose 5 percent of your body weight. Or make your goal markers every 5 pounds. By setting realistic goals, you're more likely to reach them, feel successful and move on from there.

8. Reward yourself
When you've reached a goal (and remember to keep them small), you deserve a treat. Buy new clothes, a book or CD, or take yourself to a movie or sporting event.

9. Keep reminders in plain sight
Treadmills, bicycles, weights, even sneakers and exercise outfits should be left where you can see them. Don't store your exercise gear under the bed or in the basement. That will only hide the fact that you need to exercise.

10. Read Success Stories
Motivation often comes from reading about the way others have found success. Just think: "One day the story is going to be mine!"

We also talked about creating a victory box of your success. Inside your box include:
- Your last straw- right down the event that was the turning point for you to join weight watchers
- Pictures of you before to motivate you to be smaller, or those pictures that you never want to look like again. Both of these can boost motivation.
- Warm and Fuzzies- all of those non scale victories that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside…right those moments down (when you realize you can bend down and tie your shoes, when a coworker says that she sure can tell you have been losing weight, etc). Write each down and who said it.
- As you get into smaller sizes, save the tags and put them in your box to remind you of how far you have come.
- Milestones and accomplishments as you encounter them. Dates you reach your 5% and 10% targets.
- Anything else you can think of that will help encourage you. Because let’s face it, we are all going to have down days. And on those days opening up a box of your accomplishments can really help get you back on track.

Try some of these things this week and see if they help give you the motivation that you need to keep going!