Staying Motivated to Lose Weight

Exercise is a key ingredient to weight loss. But there will, no doubt, be days when you simply don’t want to exercise. Having a motivation plan in place can help make the difference between success and failure.

What will make or break your success

You have to know what you want and why. Identify this and write it down. There will be times when exercising will be inconvenient, hard or boring which can deter you from reaching your goals, so staying prepared is essential. Writing down “Get healthy”, “feel better”, “have more energy” are great goals, but they’re too vague to be motivating. In a moment of weakness, they’re not powerful enough to motivate you.

Ask yourself:

• What exactly am I trying to accomplish? Be specific.
  • “…to play at the park with my kids and not get winded”
  • “…to sit comfortably in a roller coaster”
• Why is this important to me? Again, be very specific.
• What will my life be like once I achieve this goal? How will I feel?
• How will I feel if I don’t achieve this goal?

Five effective ways to motivate yourself

1. Take baby steps toward your goals. The building blocks of habits. When you succeed with each baby step, you’ll be motivated to keep going.
2. Track your progress. Research shows that keeping track of your progress and making it visual is very motivating. When you look back and see how far you’ve come, you’ll start to believe anything is possible. Keep in mind to track subjective changes like endurance, strength, flexibility, mood, energy, quality of sleep, etc. Don't focus only on the scale.
3. Keep your eyes on the prize. Focus on what you’re trying to achieve every time you think about skipping a workout.
4. Visualize yourself succeeding. Nearly all professional athletes use this strategy. Visualize yourself achieving your goals. Fill your brain with “I can” or “I will” statements.
5. Celebrate small wins. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished and celebrate with non-food rewards. Small wins add up to big victories.

Need help?

If you want some extra help reaching your health goals, explore our weight management options through diet and nutrition services or non-surgical weight loss programs.