How do you stay motivated!

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RunnerInTraining
RunnerInTraining Posts: 51 Member
in Motivation and Support
I always start off strong and then start to fade!! I don't want that to happen this time! How do you stay environment!
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  • kr1ssy23
    kr1ssy23 Posts: 270 Member
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    Sounds lame but Im reminded everyday when I walk into my room about my goal. I have my favorite pair of jeans from when I was 120lbs hanging on my wall, along with a picture of me at that weight. Thats enough motivation for me. I know I was way happier then.... than I am now. :)
  • wisebadger53
    wisebadger53 Posts: 382 Member
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    I simply depend on my family and my MFP friends, who are all awesome with their never ending support and encouragement. That's all! Well, that and the commitment that I made to myself when I started all of this.
  • ken1994
    ken1994 Posts: 495 Member
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    We have all started this way including more failures than successes however you need to find out the goal...why you want to do this and than keep whatever that is close to your heart and always on your mind. Also very important to have a strong support system, I find the people on this site for the most part are willing to give the support you need as long as you are willing to be honest with them and yourself. Feel free to add me as a friend and I would be glad to pat you on the back and kick you in the butt if you need it!:smile:
  • BeachBobbie
    BeachBobbie Posts: 46
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    you just have to make it up in your mind that this is what you want. that this is the life you chose. It's a mind set. Kind of like giving of cigarettes or something that's bad for you. It's a life decision. A choice to do this the rest of your life. its that simple ;)
  • angieroo2
    angieroo2 Posts: 973 Member
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    I look at a picture taken of me at a wedding at the start of this month, then look at my pictures from 5 years ago. Seeing the difference motivates me to work towards the "old me".
  • sagetracey
    sagetracey Posts: 607 Member
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    I set goals for myself - bigger goals are short, medium and longer term, smaller goals are more frequent. For example, one of my first goals was to get under 100kg - this was a big goal because I had always stalled in the teens (113-119) in the past. I rewarded myself with a new gold watch.

    Another goal was to look great in my son's wedding photos. He was married on Saturday and I was really pleased with how I looked (not to mention that the rest of the day was wonderful as well!)

    When I broke through the 90kg barrier I bought a high quality light for my bicycle. This leads into another goal which is to complete the Great Victorian Bike Ride in November this year. The new light means that I can continue riding and training over the winter months between now and the Great Vic.

    At some point I will set a major goal which will be rewarded with buying myself a road bike. This will probably be when I reach my goal weight as I also need time to save up for it!

    My DH also keeps me motivated with his love and support. He exercises with me and has enjoyed the added benefit of reducing his cholesterol levels.
  • limesublime
    limesublime Posts: 118 Member
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    Keep logging into MFP! There have been days where I didn't track everything (or didn't track at all), but just popping in to check the message board and my profile kept me focused on my overall goal of living a healthy life. I find that if I stay engaged here, it is hard for me to slip into denial.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    you just have to make it up in your mind that this is what you want. that this is the life you chose. It's a mind set. Kind of like giving of cigarettes or something that's bad for you. It's a life decision. A choice to do this the rest of your life. its that simple ;)

    ^ ^ ^ This. :)
  • ForeverIrish
    ForeverIrish Posts: 232 Member
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    Looking around my closet is not as painful as it used to be since I've lost a few pounds. I had put on so much weight that I couldn't fit into much of my wardrobe anymore.

    Stay strong and stay here!
  • Aerohead21
    Aerohead21 Posts: 333 Member
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    When it go too hard I took a break. Granted it was a month long after three months of hard work but I knew I wasn't done. I just knew I needed to take a break. Now I'm back and I feel more motivated to continue. I think you have to make a genuine, hard effort to do it the right way and acknowledge that some days you are on fire and other days you are burnt out. It's ok to slack now and again but you have to not only be prepared to forgive yourself of your mistakes but to jump back in the game before it becomes out of your control.
  • Amy911Gray
    Amy911Gray Posts: 685 Member
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    One day at a time, or one hour at a time, or 10 minutes at a time...It just depends on the day. Fluctuations on the scales used to bother me, but I keep reminding myself that this took hard work, and I can do this.

    Being a tight size 24 and unemployed and looking unemployable was exhausting, degrading and well, depressing. In the job market, a resume only speaks to your skills, and if they can't quit looking at you to figure out if the chair will break or you will have a heart attack in their office, they aren't even looking at the resume. I had one interviewer who told me "There's no way you could sit on a plane for 20 hours." *kitten*...

    It's a good idea at whatever stage in the game you are in, to take a look back at where you started. Could be one day ago, or a week, or in my case 250 days ago. I remember where I was, what I had become, and where I really wanted to be. And my husband started losing weight too, and my kids are so proud of my efforts, and I'll be around for my granddaughter and all of the grandchildren to come...just because of what I started and what I'll finish!

    Exercise time!
  • pixelberry
    pixelberry Posts: 167 Member
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    I think about all of the work I've already put in, and where I really want to be. Still have moments of weakness where I have to tell myself the bad decision isn't worth the price of the hard work I've already put in.
  • 100over
    100over Posts: 53 Member
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    Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell.............that's so hard. Failure has always been an option for me because of lack of willpower. This time I just really have a different mindset. This time I feel like failure is NOT an option and it's really helping me. Everytime I want to stray I just tell myself "Really...are we going down that road again? Just back to the same old fatness and tiredness?" And I tell myself "NO!!! Every day involves choices I have to make to change that"
    It's so personal. It's like smoking, drinking.....whatever. It's not going to happen till you're in the place where you're finally ready.
    Good luck on your journey. You can add me as a friend if you want
  • Janiot
    Janiot Posts: 187 Member
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    Log daily and move more - your goal keeps coming closer!
  • vade43113
    vade43113 Posts: 836 Member
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    bump, so I can learn something
  • maryellen8301
    maryellen8301 Posts: 100 Member
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    my motivation just happened if that makes sense.. i went to look at what my short term goal is.. and i just realized i only have 13 lbs to go to be -50lb.. wow...
  • Qatsi
    Qatsi Posts: 2,191 Member
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    I'm making good steady progress at the moment, so my motivation stems from keeping up the momentum.

    For me, I had to get to the mindset that blowing off exercise, even for one day, is no longer an option.

    About two months ago I read an article about setting daily goals which really resonated with me.

    http://lifehacker.com/5886128/how-seinfelds-productivity-secret-fixed-my-procrastination-problem

    I set a goal to exercise every single day - PERIOD. Since I started this 67 days ago, I've only missed four days - three because I was sick with the flu, and one because I was traveling and didn't have the opportunity to do my daily walk.

    Currently, I've got an 18-day streak going. Keeping that streak going is the very first thing I think about in the morning. It's what gets me out of bed to go walking before work instead of hitting the snooze button.

    I know at some point I'm going to hit that inevitable plateau, and I'll have to deal with that when it happens. But for now - it's all about keeping the streak alive.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/576542-nsv-keeping-the-streak-alive
  • poeticallydevine
    poeticallydevine Posts: 56 Member
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    i have my goals and inspiration posted on loud neon paper on my wall so that its the first thing i see when i open my eyes and when i go to sleep... and i keep my fitness mags on my table...im very jealous of all those fit females in those
  • angieroo2
    angieroo2 Posts: 973 Member
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    Also, learn to appreciate the small successes. Exercise 3 times a week instead of one? That's a small success to be proud of. I celebrate every little thing I've done better this time then every other time I've tried to lose weight. I've never been more motivated then I am now.
  • Katie1951
    Katie1951 Posts: 314 Member
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    I purchased a Fitbit with the goal of walking 10,000 steps a day. Now there are days I challenge myself to increase that to 12K. I'm always pushing myself to find a new goal. More steps, more stairs, more miles. It's my nifty little motivator.

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