Four Ways to Stay Motivated while Working on your Health Goals

So you’ve decided that it is time to start working on your health goals. Perhaps you want to get that blood pressure down, get more fit, or lose some weight. No matter what your health goals are, it can be challenging staying on track. My friend and colleague recently started working on her weight loss goals. She started her exercise routine and was choosing healthful foods and everything went great for the first week. The second week rolled around and she ditched her exercise routine a couple days and found herself not paying too much attention to what she was eating. By week 3 she was back to her old habits and her weight loss goals were not being met. This is an all too common scenario when the comfort of our old habits takes hold and our new habits disappear. What happened to that motivation during the first week?

This obstacle occurs because you are stepping into the cycle of change. It is important to understand what happens psychologically when changing habits so you know what to expect. Anytime you do something new that is different from your prior conditioning, your habitual brain will tell you to stop and to return to your old habits because this change feels different and uncomfortable. Peter Senge, the author of The 5th Discipline, explains that this tension we feel when we try to change habits forces you to act. You will either slip into default mode and go back to your old comfortable habits, or stick to your decision and move forward creating new habits.

Think about other times you have changed habits. When you get a new job and it starts at 8 am. You used to get up at 7:30 am and now you have to get up at 6:00 am. This is uncomfortable! You are tired, it’s dark outside, and your body clock feels completely off. Can’t you just feel your body pulling you back to bed?! You still have two choices: you can get up, despite how uncomfortable you feel and go into work on time or, you can choose to go back to your old habits and stay in bed accepting the consequences of losing your new job.

Eating and fitness habits work the same way. If you go back to your old habits to avoid the temporary discomfort of change, you will be accepting the undesired consequences. Remember when you had to get up early for that job? It’s really only uncomfortable for about 1-2 weeks. Then you get comfortable with your new schedule and it becomes routine or a new habit. This is the same with eating and fitness habits. Once you start changing the habit the old habit dissipates and your new habits become comfortable and normal.

It is possible to get around this obstacle and to keep your motivation up during these challenging times so you can achieve your goals. Practicing these 4 steps can help you stay motivated and keep moving forward.

1.  Create a vision.

Have you ever written a business plan before? Writing a vision is crucial for the success of your business and it is crucial for your health plan. Your vision is what you are working towards and how you envision your life.  Why do you want this particular goal? What will it bring to your life? Perhaps increased energy, or improved health. Maybe you want more endurance. This is unique to each person and will help you to stay focused on why you started these changes in the first place. Write your vision down and keep it around your house and office so you are reminded of the outcome you want to achieve. When you start to slide back into your old habits, just ask yourself, is this choice bringing me closer to my vision?

2.  Set goals each week.

One thing that can keep you on track is to set specific goals each week. Sit down at the beginning of each week and map out some simple goals that you can set for yourself. These don’t have to be huge goals, just simple ones like: I will limit my ice-cream to one scoop this week. Goals help you to stay focused while changing habits. Post your goals all over as reminders.

3.  Build your support system

Support comes in all different forms. This may be a walking buddy, group meetings, or professional services like a Registered Dietitian or Personal Trainer. No matter what road you take it is important to have your support system in place. This not only keeps you motivated but also keeps you accountable. Find a family member, friend, cyber-buddy, or professional program to help you stay accountable to get through those first few phases of the change cycle. Having a great support system in place is one of the most powerful things you can do to help you stay on track.

4.  When all else fails: the 3-step backup promise

Ok. You’ve tried all of the above and your old habits are just too strong of a deterrent. This is when you break out the 3-step backup promise. Make yourself a list of 3 minimum steps you promise to take daily. These steps will differ for each person. The key is they have to be completely easy and doable for you and still work towards your health goals. It could be having a fruit or vegetable with each meal, going for a 20 minute walk, or lifting hand weights for 10 minutes. Then, when things start to derail you can agree to do the minimum. After all you did promise yourself! Make up your 3-step back-up promise so when things aren’t going well you can at least stay somewhat on track with 3 doable steps.

© 2007, Meri Raffetto