With all of the information out there about making healthier changes, it can be easy to choose some health advice and decide to follow it. But following through and continuing to follow that advice after a few weeks or months can be difficult.
Here are five easy ways to keep motivated while getting healthy.
Wear a heart-shaped ring or find some other visual trigger to remind you of why you're doing what you're doing. The reason that this psychological trick can work is that motivation is never constant. It comes and goes.
As an example, if you were sitting in the doctor's office and he was giving you frightening news about your blood pressure, you'd feel very motivated to change. But as days pass, the memory of that fear, and thus the motivation, fade.
So wear a pendant, or pin up a note such as "I want to see my granddaughter graduate from medical school," to keep your motivating factors in focus.
When friends and family are behind you, you succeed. One study found that people are more likely to stick to their healthy lifestyle changes if their friends and families support and encourage them.
Tell your partner and children that the changes you're making aren't easy for you and that you'd love their encouragement. Better still, ask them to join you in some of your healthy new habits.
Fear of a heart attack can certainly fuel motivation, but don't focus too much on the negative — worrying can have an effect that's opposite to the one you're working for. A better strategy is to adapt your negative inspirations to sound more positive.
For example, tell yourself "I'm making healthy packed lunches and walking after work to build and maintain a strong heart" instead of "I'm making healthy packed lunches and walking after work to avoid a heart attack."
Sometimes, the way you handle small obstacles can make the difference between staying the course and veering off it.
If you always make lunch for your partner and he likes fattening foods you can't resist, ask him to make it himself or, better still, convert him.
If piles of dishes prevent you from taking your evening walk, delegate this chore to your children.
There's always a way around the little things, so don't let them hinder you.
Remember how, when you were a child, you'd phone all your friends until you found someone to come out and play? Then you'd both run wild until dinnertime.
We're not so different as adults. Company makes exercise and eating properly more fun. It also gives you someone to answer to. If you're married, the best partner is probably your spouse.
Research has shown that people who take up programs with their spouses are far more likely to be regularly active and far less likely to give up than those who try to get moving alone.
Put one or a few of these five easy ways into practice to help you to keep motivated when you're working your way toward a healthier life.
