Whenever I find myself losing or lacking motivation...

ReinaJaLaNa

Thought I would share this, in case it helps any others: In the past when I was living a mostly unhealthy lifestyle, I would notice that time would FLY by...so, for example, it's June now and, before I'd know it, it would be October and then December..all in the blink of an eye.

And looking back on how quickly the month/year/few years went by, I would often think to myself "now, if I would've just STUCK with (or started) working out and eating healthy all those months (or a year or a few years) ago, I'd be exactly where I want to be right now."

I would really beat myself up about that because time would just seem to go by SO QUICKLY when I was being lazy and not eating right, and it would just seem like such a waste and ultimately a huge regret.

I know for some (well, most ) people, when we are being active and working out and eating right regularly, the time that passes while we get to our desired weight and size may seem like forever, but I really try to think about the reality -- that, regardless as to what we are or aren't doing, time is still going to FLY by in the greater scheme of things. It may seem like a long and slow time now but trust me -- it won't seem so long and slow a year from now.

And lastly, there is one similar idea that I think about from an article I posted on here a lil' while ago that had some great weight-loss motivation tips: sometimes when I feel myself lacking motivation or not having enough willpower to push on, whether in the moment of trying to complete a jog or other workout..or in being tempted to eat a lot more than I should or the wrong kinds of foods, I imagine being my future, healthy and in-shape self talking to my present self (as well as to others at that time, in telling them "how I did it" ), saying something along the lines of: "Believe me, there were definitely times when I really wanted to give up when working out and give in when thinking about stopping by McDonald's on a whim or eating a second donut. It wasn't easy, but thank God I didn't quit because, I mean, look where I am now! *big cheese*"

kateauch

Great advice!! I do the same thing!

I've also plugged into my calendar recurring daily reminders that say things like "what will your collar bones look like next month?" or "what will your hips bones looks like?" and even "your cheeks? Your chin?" Kind of silly, but those little NSV's keep me motivated!

I set them to pop up during the times in my schedule when I know I'll go hunting for snacks or when I'm supposed to work out.

Thinking about how I want to look and knowing that if I just take the 30 minutes now, I'll see significant results in 30 days.

The future is so bright. Keep it up!!

HelenKiller

I really like the idea of visualizing my future, improved self coaching the current me to make better choices. Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.

KristysLosing

Funny that you post this...I just put the question out there for my MFP friends. Thanks for sharing!