How To Maintain Your Weight Loss Motivation
One of the hardest aspects of getting yourself into shape,
is maintaining the motivation you need to achieve your weight
loss goals. Just about anyone will lose some of their
enthusiasm, a month or so into a weight loss program. I have
learned a few things that keep me motivated and dedicated
to achieving my goals. They have helped me tremendously and
I think they will help you as well.
Here a just a few of the many things I do to motivate myself.
Weigh yourself once a week: I weigh myself at least a few
times
a week. In the beginning of your program once is plenty because
you don't want to discourage yourself. The reason I weigh
myself
once a week is because it can be easy to look in the mirror
and
justify, in your head, that you aren't gaining any weight.
If
you look at a scale every week, you know for sure whether
you
need to make changes or not.
Keep a picture of the heavier version of yourself in plain
sight: I have a picture of me at my son's baptism next to
my
bed. I was 20-25 pounds heavier in that picture than I currently
am. This gives me a chance everyday to see what I don't want
to
slip back into. It reminds me why I lost weight and keeps
me
from sliding back into old habits. Also, it will just remind
you
of how far you have come and how much better you look now.
Visualize everyday: You should visualize everyday, how you
want
yourself to look. If you have achieved your goals then just
imagine yourself doing some new things, in your new body.
This
really does help. I try to visualize myself everyday doing
something that I plan on doing in the future. This can help
with
goals in any aspect of your life. I used to do this while
running, when I first started my program. I would picture
myself
mentally, running and looking the way I wanted to look.
Set your sights farther and higher:
If you have already reached your ideal weight, then you should
set some new goals or standards. If you don't, you will probably
fall back into old habits. It is harder to maintain
something, then to achieve something new. So if you have
reached your ideal weight, then why not set a goal to add
some muscle. Or maybe, set a goal to get absolutely ripped.
In perfect shape, like you never imagined you could. Look
high and far, set your goal and then reach it. Nothing will
keep you more motivated then setting and achieving new goals.
Those are just a few of the ways that I use to keep myself
motivated. There are thousands more. To find other motivating
ideas just do some searching on the internet. You can find
thousands of articles and websites dedicated to weight loss
and
health.
Being healthy and losing weight can change every area of
your
life. It is amazing, the possibilities we begin to see, after
reaching an achievement such as weight loss. Don't lose the
momentum. Keep it turned up and start using it to help you
with
other areas of your life. But most of all, never give up.
There
will always be obstacles in any thing you do in life. Just
don't
use them as excuses to hold you back from achieving the ultimate
freedom you deserve.
About the author:
This article was written by Jason Barger. Jason has been helping
people lose weight with his breakthrough book, Primal Weight
Loss. To learn more about his philosophy and programs you
can visit http://www.primalhealth.com .