A spoonful of self-accountability makes the medicine go down
If you are someone who checks in with us on a weekly basis you may already know the importance of accountability. At Pounds, you can find support and accountability through various ways, whether it be checking in with our staff in person or through telemedicine visits or posting with other Pounds Peeps in social media outlets. Accountability through others is crucial, but did you know there are ways to keep accountable to yourself on your own? Here are a few thoughts and tips to encourage you to up your self-accountability game!
Track, track then track some more
Researchers have shown that those individuals who complete food journals have greater success with weight loss and even weight maintenance when you are at your goal weight. We hear the sighs and groans and we know that recording what you eat can be a pain, but there is a reason we recommend it! Tracking can happen in so many ways: paper, phone, computer, journals, voice memos, it does not matter! Maybe it is not the food you track, it could be your water intake, your steps, your sleep, your daily meditation or giving yourself a star on the calendar for each day you bring your lunch to work. Pick an activity that you want to focus on and find a way to make note of it frequently. It will without a doubt help to keep your eye on the prize!
How often can you practice self-accountability? Daily!!!
You may only come into appointments a few times per month, but you can still work on supporting yourself daily. The great thing about self-accountability is that it can be done on your own, without any resources or specific training or degree in rocket science! With that said, there is no reason NOT to practice some method of self-accountability. If you have a hard time remembering to check in with yourself set an alarm on your phone or work calendar, download a reminder app on your phone, ask Alexa to remind you...I think you get the point. Taking the extra step to check in with yourself on the daily will pay off to keep you consistent and focused.
It is a great way to give yourself a pat on the back
How many bad reviews do you see when you look something up online? It is rare to see positive comments these days and the same goes for how we can treat ourselves. We are very quick to focus on where we “messed up” during the week. Self-accountability methods like tracking your food or documenting each day you drank 64 ounces of water can help you avoid slip ups, but it can also highlight how often you are making the right choices and meeting your goals! Highlight successful days on the calendar with your favorite color and see how many days are in your ‘habit streak.’ For water tracking goals, you can give yourself a dollar for each day you meet a goal and then buy yourself a new water bottle at the end of the month. For step tracking goals, you can find a new area to explore on a hike to celebrate all the days you tracked your steps!
You will learn where you excel and where you can improve
You have already learned that self-accountability through tracking methods can highlight where you are rocking it, on the flip side it can show you where you should focus your efforts to improve. Maybe you track your water intake and see you meet it every day without issue, but when you track your steps you fall short. Vary up your strategies for how you keep track of your activity, maybe get a friend involved, set movement alarms during the day, or place a sticky note by the door to remember to bring your walking shoes to work. When you know what areas to work on you can place your self-accountability efforts there.
Did we mention to track?
We did, didn’t we. Self-accountability involves tracking but remember there are so many ways to do it! Write notes to yourself and put them in the bathroom mirror or on the fridge, keep your food journal on the dining room table, set alarms on your phone, find a fancy notebook with nice pens, or email yourself reminders. The possibilities are endless.
Let us help you figure out self-accountability to stay focused, motivated, and reach your goals! You can schedule an appointment by filling out our contact form found here: http://poundstransformation.com/contact-directions/
