Jun 14

Jun 14 How to Stay Motivated

This week I achieved 1000 days without sugar, flour, or processed food. That’s a long time and a big deal for me. In celebration of that, I decided to share my top 9 tips for staying motivated while creating long term lifestyle changes.

OK, so here we go!

1-Have friends that do what you do. We do what our social circle does. Remember when your parents irritatingly asked you if you’d jump off of a bridge if your friends did. Research shows that yes, you most likely would jump off, which still holds for your adult self! Ha! If you want to eat better, work out more, drink less alcohol, or whatever your wellness goals are; then expand your social circle to include people who already incorporate the changes you desire or, if possible, convince your current friends to adopt your preferred health goals.

2- Create the positives. Don’t just focus on the positives, create them. What do I mean? According to relationship researcher John Gottman, the magic ratio is 5 to 1. This means that for every 1 negative feeling or interaction between partners, there must be five positive feelings or interactions. Stable and happy couples share more positive emotions and actions than negative ones.

Therefore, in terms of your desired wellness goals, I’m suggesting you create multiple positive feelings or situations for every negative. For instance, for every thought that you can’t continue with your new habit forever or for every friend's comment that gee, are you still on that crazy diet, counteract that with 5 positives. Such as reminding yourself out loud maybe while looking in the mirror that you can do hard things and perhaps smile and tell your friend that’s its not a diet it’s a lifestyle while you remember how nice it is to have all the clothes in your closet fit. Make a point of creating more positive moments to counteract any craving, negative thought, or comment.

3- High five the little things: Look in the mirror and say you’re rocking this, then give yourself a high 5. Celebrate every win big and small! Every healthy meal. Every workout. Take your wins. It’s motivating. When you celebrate the little things, you’re also creating one of your 5 positives for each negative! 😉

4- Use a 5-Five year journal. A five-year journal is a journal where each page has several blank lines for the same day for 5 consecutive years. I’m on the 3rd row, or the third year, of my 5-year journal. It’s easy every night as I record the most salient points of the day to scan the two previous years. Now, theoretically, you are adopting new habits to improve your overall life, right? So, when you use a 5-year journal, you can scan the previous years and see how you've moved passed old issues, how you’ve grown and changed. As your new habits become your lifestyle, the 5-year journal will allow you to see how you are stretching beyond where you once thought possible.

5- Adjust your expectations: Let go of the if-then beliefs. Such as, if I lost weight, then I will be happy, or if I gained 10 pounds of muscle than I will be attractive. I’m a wellness coach, and obviously, I'm all for adopting healthy long-term habits. However, it’s essential not to give those habits too much power. Life will always have challenges. Expect that.

6- Our minds are thought generating machines. I often say to my clients, “You’re not responsible for the first thought, but you are responsible for the 2nd thought and your 1st action.” Meaning, what are your internal responses to negative thoughts? I use these questions to counteract an urge to eat off my plan or to skip yoga, my meditation, or a workout:

How will that be better than what I’m planning to do?

How will that make me happier?

And

How will I feel in one hour from now or tomorrow if I don’t do x, y, or z?

Expect negative, challenging thoughts even at 1000 days and create your strategies to deal with them.

7- Know your whys. I’d suggest you journal about your reasons why you want to make your desired lifestyle choices. List every reason and then share them with a friend, your Mastermind group, or your wellness coach. Then write your why's on a post-it note where you’ll see them every day and be open to new whys cropping up as you grow, change, and mature on your wellness journey. Knowing your deeper why’s is motivating.

8- Motivation is often the result of an action, not the cause of it. Do you remember Newton's law from high school physics? It stipulates that objects in motion tend to stay in motion. The next time you feel unmotivated, want to eat off-plan or skip a workout, then take a walk outside, call a friend, or just put your sneakers on. Do one small thing because action creates motivation. Put that on a post-it note somewhere and read it every day! No one sits in lotus pose and waits to feel like doing something. Ha! You must start, learn how to do it anyway, knowing deep down that the doing often creates the desire to do it.

9- Practice makes proficient: One of my mantras is that it’s d**m near impossible not to improve if you practice something every day. That’s right! I dare you not to improve if you work at something every day. It’s not about perfection; it’s about small daily actions that move you closer to the new lifestyle you desire. That’s right; practice makes proficient if you keep at it.

In summary, my top tips on how to turn your desired action into a new habit and ultimately into your new lifestyle are:

Have friends that do what you do
Create the positives
High five the little things
Use a 5-Five year journal
Adjust your expectations
Our minds are thought generating machines
Know your whys
Motivation is often the result of an action, not the cause of it
Practice makes proficient

I'm Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and I thank you for watching this video about my top motivation tips. If you have any questions about this video, or if you have any questions about health and wellness or wellness coaching with me, please contact me through my website at lizmosercoaching.com or leave a comment in the comment section below.