When one decides to improve physical health, there is a motivational factor that is very often difficult to maintain at different periods of time. The hardest part is usually the first few weeks. Then there will be little periods where difficulties arise. Any time there is added stress or some kind of personal crisis, one can be thrown off of the health motivation wheel.
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How to Keep Up Workout Motivation
For most people, having someone to do any workouts with is a great help. Whether it’s walking, rollerblading, bicycle riding, swimming, going to the gym, or playing tennis, it doesn’t matter. Physical activity tends to be social for most people, so having another person to share it with helps in motivation. This is why there are often people advertising for workout partners.
Family and friends are usually the best source of this. Many couples will decide to get on the health wheel together and improve their overall lifestyles by supporting one another and sharing the burden of motivation. In this sense they can help with the overall lifestyle changes involved in choosing to be healthier.
Friends are also a good source. If there is anyone that complains about not having the motivation to start, offering to do it with them can often be the catalyst that gets both people going. Not only does this allow company and supply an extrinsic motivator, it also gives someone to share ideas with regarding the choice to be healthier.
Motivational Meals and Controlling Diet Urges
If one is used to eating junk food all the time, whether it’s fast food, candy, desserts or simply poor choices overall, it can be hard to change to eating healthier foods. One idea that helps a lot is simply not buying groceries that contribute to the poor choices in diet.
For those who are just starting out with this choice, meal plans often work. Planning out every meal and snack a week in advance not only gives one a grocery list that does not include unhealthy choices, it frees up time and makes creating the meals a lot easier. This in itself can be a motivator. Many times people eat poorly simply because they find it easier than thinking about what to make and what is healthy after a long day’s work when feeling tired. Preplanning can really help in that aspect.
Of course control of urges and impulse eating is another issue. It is a good idea to do some self discovery and find out what motivates these urges, since it usually isn’t hunger, and find something else that might satisfy that desire. If it’s just “comfort food,” then there can be something healthier to replace it, even if temporarily, until another habit is formed that meets these needs.
Sometimes exercise actually works. Other times the comfort need could be satisfied by calling a friend and talking on the phone. This, of course, is only an example of why some people impulse eat; there are other reasons. Each person has to reflect on why she has such behaviour.
Other ways to find motivation for good eating habits include listing all the benefits of a healthier life, such as more energy, better sleep, possible better sex, longer life, thinking more clearly, and so on. Reflecting on these, for some people, allows a perspective and understanding that helps to increase motivation overall.
Making sure that one’s spirit and mental well being is being taken of is essential in choosing a healthier lifestyle, as well. Get out and enjoy other people, take up a hobby or share one that is already enjoyed. Do whatever is necessary to keep spirits up.
