Get Motivated

Page Updated on November 24, 2007

Motivation is about more than just scheduling time for exercise and telling yourself not to eat that brownie. Motivation is something that comes from deep within, a desire that we simply must fulfill. The big question is, how to you get that desire?

Step 1: Get out that journal.

1. I want you to take out your journal and make a list of everything you hate about your current lifestyle, how you feel emotionally or physically, and your body. Maybe you feel tired all the time. Maybe you're overweight. Maybe you're constantly worried about having a heart attack or cancer. Get it all out there. Get angry. Cry. Rip paper. Scribble. Just don't be ho-hum about it: "Well, I guess I don't like how I look." or "I think I'm upset because I don't have enough energy to ..." Really feel it: "I am just furious about the way that I look." or "I'm so depressed about the way that I look that I just want to curl up into a ball and hide." or "I feel so guilty when I watch my children play, and I don't have the energy to join in with them. I feel like such a pathetic failure of a parent."
2. Now, calm down, and take a look at your list. Take each item and dedicate a separate page to it. Write the item at the top of its page. Underneath it, I want you to write "Because of this, I don't..." followed by everything you are missing out on because of that item. Underneath that, I want you to write "If I changed this, I would be able to ..." followed by everything you would gain by changing that item.

Step 2: Use your imagination.

1. Take few minutes to relax, and close your eyes. Take some deep breaths.
2. Now imagine what it would be like to change those things that you hate. Don't just talk to yourself. Really picture it. See yourself in your new body. What activities are you doing? How do you feel? What does your face look like? Are you happy? Let yourself feel the happiness, the pride, and all of the emotions that your new self feels.
3. Now imagine how the new you actually got to that point of happiness in your new lifestyle. Imagine the new you exercising, running, lifting weights, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, passing up the junk food isle and filling the shopping cart with fruits and vegetables, cooking healthy meals, drinking an icy glass of water with every meal, writing in a journal, working on projects, taking care of his/her skin, spending time with new friends from the gym, etc. Let yourself feel the exhaustion during exercise, taste the flavor of the food, etc. Then feel the satisfaction of a job well done when the task is finished.
4. Repeat this visualization every morning when you wake up. You may need to hang a sign or a poster on your wall, so you'll see it as soon as you wake up since it's hard to break routines when you're half asleep.

Step 3: Look through the list of healthy habits to find ones you can start doing today.

• Throw out your deadlines. When you set a deadline, like "lose 10 lbs. in 10 weeks" you define an attainable goal. However, what if you only lose 9 lbs. in those 10 weeks. You've missed your deadline. You're a failure (at least in your mind). Instead of focusing on those nine fabulous pounds that you worked so hard to lose, you focus on that one little pound that you didn't. Now that will destroy your motivation.
• Stick with process oriented goals. Instead of setting a goal, such as "I must lose 50 lbs.," try making your goal to walk every day or to lift weights three times a week. Every time you meet one of those goals you succeed, and shedding the pounds is just icing on the cake.
• Reward yourself for meeting those goals. Give yourself a treat every time you complete a week or month of accomplishing your goals. After all, you deserve it.
• Keep a journal. Write about how much fun you had on your monthly hike. Write about how proud you are of yourself for overcoming a difficult obstacle or moving up to the next level in your martial arts class. Write about those negative experiences too instead of comforting yourself with donuts and cookies. Make a recipe journal (loose-leaf notebooks or index cards work best) of all the healthy recipes you've learned, and include a small place on that recipe page for a story about how you discovered the recipe, your personal review of its flavor and texture, and nutritional information.
• Make some new friends. If you want to aspire to greatness, spend time with great people. If you want to aspire to optimum health, spend time with people who also place a high priority on their health. This doesn't mean you can't spend time with your potato chip loving friends who watch sports on television while drinking beer instead of getting out there and tossing the ball around themselves. It just means that you spend a little more time with people who inspire you. Where on earth do you meet these people? The gym, a sports league (like a church or work softball league), at health food stores, college classes about physical fitness and nutrition (especially classes for aspiring fitness trainers), and you probably even have a few friends already that enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
• Join a support group. A support group is great when you don't want to burden your friends with your problems, especially if they can't empathize with your situation anyhow. A support group can be on the Internet, in group therapy, or even just a bunch of friends who get together once a week to talk about their struggles and success.
• Watch movies or television shows about getting healthy. Have you ever seen one of those movies that just inspired you to go out and take on the world? Just such a movie can really help you get motivated. Action movies, such as "Rocky" and "GI Jane" can really pump you up for a workout (especially if you watch them while exercising). Some of those tear-jerker movies on the Lifetime Network about eating disorders can get you in the right frame of mind for healthy nutrition. There are even documentaries about losing weight that can inspire you to stick with your goals.
• Get your family and friends involved. Start taking your kids out for bike rides every day or go kayaking with your friends once a week. Even when you don't feel like moving, your loved ones will urge you to get up and play with them. Don't worry, once you get started you'll remember how much fun the activity is and will wonder why you didn't want to do it in the first place.