Health and Wellbeing

  Written by Lynne McDonald on Jan 20, 2009 11:46 pm

Read More: Personal Development  |  Positive Thinking

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Looking Great and Feeling Great is something we have to work at much of the time.  There are so many things that bring us down from not being fit enough to do the things we want to do to being the weight we would like to be. Some of the things I hear more than anything else is that "I start things but don't seem to finish them", or "I wish I was more motivated and had the energy to do the things I want to do".  "Every time I start something, something happens and I don't get to finish it". " I am waiting for ...... then I will be able to do what I want to do". 

I see this reacting to life rather than taking control and being proactive.  A very scary idea for many people.  Being proactive suggests that I need to take responsibility for what happens in my life and not blame anyone or anything when things don't happen how I would like. Wow, how my life is now is a result of what I have done in the past!

So how do I change all this.

Firstly we need to become aware of our reactions, what we are actually doing and accept that perhaps we could do something differently.  Then we need to think about what we might do differently, make some decisions and then follow through with some actions.

Discover what motivates us, why do we do some things, succeed sometimes and not others.  How do we keep motivated.

We need to set some goals, smart goals - specific, measurable, achieveable, realistic and timed, then work out what the steps are to achieve those goals.  Next we need to reward ourselves for each achievement towards the goal.  But the trick is that the reward needs to be directly related to the goal we have set.  It doesn't take long before the brain works out that we can have the reward without actually completing the task required and it isn't long before we stop working towards our goals.

One of the tasks I get people to do is actually write down their goal and commit to their diary the steps and tasks needed to achieve this.  Include when you will be rewarded and how.  Then make sure at the end of each day you put a nice big smiley face beside each of your achievements.

This process works for all sorts of goals from getting fit to losing weight.  Be specific about how much weight you want to lose and realistic about how long it will take you to lose this weight.  Record your starting weight and your body measurements so that you know how you are progressing.  Record everything you eat each day and review it at the end of the week, checking that what you are eating is helping you to achieve your goal and if it isn't then removing it from your diet. At the end of each week record your progress and reward your achievements.

If you would like personal support, don't hesitate to ask for it.  Friends and family can be supportive but maybe you need professional support too.  You can get this free of charge with some weight loss programs. 

Lynne McDonald

http://www.health-n-motivation.homestead.com

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