BY AYOUB OUBARKA
It’s pretty easy to feel gung-ho about your diet when you’re first starting out. It’s something new, you’re hopeful and enthusiastic, and you might even be looking forward to your new way of eating and exercising.
Fast-forward two weeks, and you might find a different story entirely. You’ve gotten bored with your daily menu, the exercises seem like a chore, and perhaps you’ve even fallen off the wagon completely.
Finding the initial motivation can be a challenge, but staying motivated is at least as difficult. Here are some ways you can sustain your enthusiasm until you reach the finish line.
Set Small Milestones
For the sake of this example, let’s say you need to lose 30 pounds. That sounds daunting! The goal might seem more manageable if you break it down into smaller milestones. For example, you could set yourself the goal of losing one pound in a week. If you stick to the plan, you can almost certainly reach that goal.
Then you’ll only have 29 more milestones to go, and a sense of accomplishment to help you pass those milestones.
Treat Yourself Often
Humans are wired to love rewards. Personal achievement might be enough to keep some people going, but the rest of us need tangible rewards to keep moving forward.
These rewards don’t need to be expensive, but they do need to be motivational. For example, let’s imagine you’ve reached your first milestone – one pound gone in one week’s time. You could reward yourself with a guilt-free evening to goof off and play video games, rent a movie you’ve wanted to see, or have an at-home
spa session complete with a homemade facial and a do-it-yourself pedicure. Special milestones, such as the loss of 10 pounds, deserve larger treats! Get creative, and you’ll come up with several ideas.
Should you use food as a weight loss reward? The concept is pretty controversial. Experts warn against it, but some dieters say it works for them. The bottom line is that you have to set up a reward system that will motivate you to keep going. If that means indulging in a hot fudge sundae, then eat the sundae. It’s far better to have those extra calories than to give up on your diet because you feel deprived.
Just be careful. If you tend to eat for comfort, the taste of a sundae could send you into a binge. Some dieters find it easier to stay on track by rewarding themselves with non-edible treats.
Fast-forward two weeks, and you might find a different story entirely. You’ve gotten bored with your daily menu, the exercises seem like a chore, and perhaps you’ve even fallen off the wagon completely.
Finding the initial motivation can be a challenge, but staying motivated is at least as difficult. Here are some ways you can sustain your enthusiasm until you reach the finish line.
Set Small Milestones
For the sake of this example, let’s say you need to lose 30 pounds. That sounds daunting! The goal might seem more manageable if you break it down into smaller milestones. For example, you could set yourself the goal of losing one pound in a week. If you stick to the plan, you can almost certainly reach that goal.
Then you’ll only have 29 more milestones to go, and a sense of accomplishment to help you pass those milestones.
Treat Yourself Often
Humans are wired to love rewards. Personal achievement might be enough to keep some people going, but the rest of us need tangible rewards to keep moving forward.
These rewards don’t need to be expensive, but they do need to be motivational. For example, let’s imagine you’ve reached your first milestone – one pound gone in one week’s time. You could reward yourself with a guilt-free evening to goof off and play video games, rent a movie you’ve wanted to see, or have an at-home
spa session complete with a homemade facial and a do-it-yourself pedicure. Special milestones, such as the loss of 10 pounds, deserve larger treats! Get creative, and you’ll come up with several ideas.
Should you use food as a weight loss reward? The concept is pretty controversial. Experts warn against it, but some dieters say it works for them. The bottom line is that you have to set up a reward system that will motivate you to keep going. If that means indulging in a hot fudge sundae, then eat the sundae. It’s far better to have those extra calories than to give up on your diet because you feel deprived.
Just be careful. If you tend to eat for comfort, the taste of a sundae could send you into a binge. Some dieters find it easier to stay on track by rewarding themselves with non-edible treats.
No comments:
Post a Comment