One of the most difficult parts of wellness is motivation. It is challenging to stay motivated especially if you are not trying to meet a particular goal. How do we stay motivated when we don’t have weight to lose or we aren’t training for a marathon or event? Glad you asked.

1. Think of wellness as a lifestyle not a means to reach a certain goal and stop. Exercising and eating healthy has life long benefits. It’s a journey not a destination. People who remained active in their youth age slower than those who are sedentary. Bone health is improved by regular exercise. I’ve met people in their 80s who are more fit than people in their 40s because they chose to treat their bodies well. They aren’t in nursing homes either, they are able to care for themselves. Eating well, working out, and minimizing stress helps your mind, body, and soul!

2. Join an online community, club, team, or anything that keeps you engaged with others who are seeking a healthy lifestyle. I like Sparkpeople.com. It’s free and you can track meals, meet other fitness friends, and they have tons of resources. Many of the online programs have apps for the mobile phones. I subscribe to another online fitness program and it’s great to connect with people from all over the world. We log our meals publicly on our message board to hold each other accountable. Joining a team or sport is another great way. You have face to face interactions with people and it’s more fun than working out.

3. Empty the cupboards of crap. What is crap. See info below. If it’s not in the house, you can’t eat it. Buy quality food and keep healthy food with you (suggestions…apples, oranges, almonds, hard-boiled eggs).

4. If you’re a visual person, leave messages for yourself around the house or office. I have a dry erase marker that I write on the bathroom mirror with. It’s a great reminder to get up in the morning and see a message of inspiration. I also went back through some pictures from a few years ago. I was 20 pounds heavier and not happy. I was unhappy because I was exhausted all the time; my clothes did not fit well; my skin was awful; I was stressed, and I never want to return to that place. When I think of giving up my new routines, I think about those photos and that person who wasn’t happy or healthy.

5. Remember it’s more difficult to take the weight off than it is to put it on. I know from experience that it’s far more difficult to get a flat stomach than it is to gain a blubbery one. Months of sugar-free living, working out daily, and too many plank exercises to count attribute to my new flat belly. I don’t want to start over. Do you? If you haven’t met your goal, keep going. Even if you’re only seeing small changes, that’s better than no changes at all.

6. Where the mind goes, the body follows. So, if you think you can do it, you will. Exercise and eating healthy is not only good for the body, it’s good for the mind. I will post more about that in a later post.

Hope these help you stay motivated for life! It’s not about a quick fix, it’s about changing our lives. One decision at a time, one day at a time….