Get Motivated, Lose Weight and Get Off the Couch – Here’s How!
So How Does Motivation Really Work?
We all have basic motivations which drive us such as hunger, thirst and sleep. What happens after that? Do we go about our daily routine and do nothing more? How do we explain how high achievers such as Richard Branson keep achieving some amazing things?
A great way to keep up our motivation for what we want to achieve is to set specific rewards (this is why we set goals) and then everyone has different degrees as to how they value the end prize of achieving the goal they have set.
The best way to keep motivated especially on health-related behavior changes is to start to change our attitude and behaviors around what you would like to achieve that is not conflicting with your thoughts. The short term pleasure of bad habits such as smoking or binge eating may bring about a short term feeling of pleasure but the long term impact of these habits and the nagging emotional feeling that you are not doing the right thing will eat away at your sense of wellbeing.
So How Can you Kick Start a Lifestyle Change?
There are two types of motivation – extrinsic (an external reward such as wealth or respect from others) and intrinsic (a desire for internal gratification) eg you may be motivated to lose weight for the satisfaction of knowing you had the discipline to stick to your exercise regime and achieve your goal weight.
- Participating in any sort of activity – a brisk walk, a coffee with a friend– will help your improve mood and general wellbeing.
- • Acknowledging negative thoughts and reluctance to be active, then participating in the activity in spite of these challenging thoughts, breaks the pattern of withdrawing from social activity, exercise and other things that bring enjoyment.
- You can also gain a sense of achievement, enjoyment, and improved mood from having participated in an activity you might have missed. With time, as the link between these positive feelings and performing an activity strengthens the internal feeling you have become a key motivator to keep on increasing activity levels.
- It is important to persevere. Breaking the hold of negative thinking isn’t easy but, with time and practice, you can do it.
- Keep Your Eyes on the Prize – remember to reward your efforts. On a day where you do 20 minutes of exercise, reward yourself in a way that is important and relevant to you – and that will help with repeating the behaviour. When you manage to go for a walk 10 times in a fortnight, maybe that’s the time to reward yourself with new exercise gear to wear the next time you head out and get active.
- Doing tasks that let you feel you have achieved something will help you feel you are getting back on top of things again. This will motivate you to keep ticking items off your list of things to do – which in turn builds your motivation to tackle more!
- If all else fails seek help to get you started – that’s where I come in – an Online Fitness and Motivation Coach who can keep you motivated and on track of your fitness and health goals. What better way to do this than to join my 13 Week Fitness Forever Online Program – this highly affordable program may be just what you need and it doesn’t matter where you live. – Email [email protected] to find out more – Start today!
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Leanne Sklavenitis has been extensively involved in the Fitness industry in not only Australia but also the USA for over 20 years as an Online Fitness Expert, Group Fitness instructor / Personal Trainer and Speaker running a successful online home based fitness business.
She has won the Aquatic and Recreation Victoria Group Exercise Instructor of the Year Award, the YMCA Group Fitness Instructor of the Year Award, has presented to 5000 delegates in Singapore, spoken to numerous corporate organisations and presented at conferences. She has also been interviewed in Fitness Instructor editorials and written fitness articles for magazines.
Leanne currently runs her own Online Health & Fitness Motivation Business where she provides the latest health and fitness motivation and helps to motivate fitness clients “online” no matter where they live. She has recently launched a new health and fitness membership site which contains all the information you need to know about creating the healthy lifestyle you deserve.
