What drives you to want to stay healthy, manage your weight, and eat well?
Many people struggle to answer this question, but it’s an important question to answer for yourself.
We know and understand that staying healthy can be a challenge for many, but having a focus makes the journey easier to stay on. Keeping your motivation front and center aides in getting you through challenging periods.
These are just a few reasons people may have to improve their health or stay healthy.
- Get off or reduce medications
- Manage a health condition better
- Being around for my family
- Feel and look better
- To fit better in clothing
- Increase confidence
- Fewer aches and pains
- To get pregnant
Often a person’s reason for wanting to stay healthy comes from an outside source. A parent, spouse, or even a doctor. It’s great to have others who care about your health, but having your own why for staying healthy, makes it more personal. Your friends, family, or doctor can’t make the changes for you, it’s something only you can do, with help and support of course.
How can you make your motivation more personal?
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Write down your motivation and include the steps you would like to take
- Writing down your motivation and goals helps to make it more real and tangible. Put it on a notecard and post it where you can see it on a regular basis. Be specific about your motivation and how you are going to achieve it. For example, if your motivation is to “Be around for family,” a goal may be that you will increase your vegetable intake at meals.
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Tell someone
- Enlist an accountability partner who you trust to support you on your journey. Someone who you feel has your best interest in mind and who can gently redirect you when you feel that you are off track from your plan. An accountability partner can be a family member, friend, doctor, or other health care professionals. Touch base with them often to provide them with an update on how you are doing. Ask for help or advice when you feel you are struggling. Your Pounds RD is a perfect example of this!
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Review your motivation often
- Read your motivation cards on a regular basis and think through your progress. What has been working well? What changes if any should you make to continue your journey successfully. Sometimes as you review your motivation, it may change and that is ok.
And just remember, You got this!!!
