How to Stay Motivated on a Diet and Exercise Program
The hardest part of a diet and exercise program my be sticking to it. If that part were easy, none of us would ever worry about our fitness level again. You can start a new fitness program every week or even every day, but if you quit just as often you'll never get anywhere. Just because sticking with a diet and exercise program is very difficult doesn't mean you should just give up altogether. All you need is motivation.
Instructions
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Get the motivational tools you need. To properly track your progress, you need to find several starting points, as your weight is just one tiny piece of the puzzle. Purchase several small notebooks as well as at least three wall calendars. Also pick up a multitude of colored pens and markers, as these will help you visualize your progress. If you like stamps, picking up a small one in a design you really like from your local craft store can be a nice addition to your tools for tracking your progress.
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Find your starting points and chart them. Place your current weight in large numbers on the first page of one of your small notebooks. On the first page of your second notebook, take a few key measurements with a soft measuring tape, such as your waist, hips, thighs, calves and biceps. Write down each body part and its starting measurement on the first page of your second notebook.
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Hang up your three wall calendars, putting one in the kitchen, one in the room you will work out in and one near your bathroom scale. Stash a few markers and your stamp or stickers in kitchen and bathroom drawers and in the workout room. Write your starting weight on the calendar near the bathroom scale. On the calendar in the kitchen, write down for each day your calorie, fat or carbohydrate limits and goals. The first day you work out, place a stamp or sticker on your workout room calendar.
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Chart your progress. At least once a week weigh in and write down your new weight on your weight calendar. Also write down your new weight and the amount you lost or gained each week in your weight notebook. Once a week, repeat the measurements of your body and write them in your notebook. Note if you've lost any inches. On the kitchen calendar, mark each day you followed your diet with an X of any color. On any days you feel you didn't do as well as you'd like, put a single black slash across that day. This will visually motivate you to fill your month with X's, not slashes. For every day you work out, put a stamp or sticker on your workout calendar. Aim to fill at least five days each week with stamps or stickers.
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Motivate yourself by figuring out the total weight and inches you've lost each month. Mark these numbers down in large thick print on your weight loss calendar and your kitchen calendar. Every month your total numbers will get larger and even more motivating. Any time you feel your energy waning, just take a few minutes to look around at all your progress.
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Take this approach seriously. Just as business people "do the books" to keep track of money, "do the books" to track your health progress. Keep accurate track of your progress and you'll be able to look back on it to show you how far you've come.
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Reward yourself! If you manage to work out for 20 days or more of any month, reward yourself on the last day of the month. Don't use food as a reward; get a new outfit, possibly even in a smaller size; get a manicure or new haircut or give yourself the treat of saving toward an ultimate reward. When you get to your goal, you may want a new wardrobe or a vacation.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep fitness-themed movies, books and magazines around. Reading or watching such material can help people feel a strong desire to stick to a fitness program.
Check with your doctor or health care provider before starting any new diet or exercise program.
References
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