MIND GAMES TO MOTIVATION
From Graduations to Starting Camp — this time of year is all about endings and beginnings for all ages. We are all experiencing happy tears in all kinds of celebrations. So how do we stay motivated to stick to our program and lose the weight when we have temptation at every turn? Here are some tips that will help you get past the mental games we play – the self sabotage we do -and keep you motivated and happy to stay on your path.
MIND GAMES: You know that 90% of weight loss is mental. As soon as you can’t have it you want it. You want the weight loss so bad but at the same time you can talk yourself into cheating in seconds. You are so quick to notice when someone takes advantage of you but do you ever realize when YOU are the one taking Advantage of YOURSELF.
EXAMPLE: MindGame— You step on the scale mid-week because part of you thinks— If I lost I will keep going but if I didn’t lose I’m giving up and eating— but the truth is you have only been on program 3 days so you didn’t even give your body enough time to lose the weight.
EXAMPLE: MindGame— You make deals with yourself — Im going to have extra today but I will eat less tomorrow (even though you know that will never happen – once you eat off program you will be lucky if you even get back on the next day- never mind eat less).
SOLUTION: The truth is when it comes to Mind Games we get into negative thinking because it’s always going to be easier to do the wrong-thing than do the right thing. The only way to stop playing mind games with yourself is to be brutally honest. When you see you are questioning your original plan – think about why you are doing it, and if you are being honest with yourself you will acknowledge that maybe it’s because you are tired or you are hungry and you feel mentally weak. Sometimes when you ask yourself the honest questions you will give yourself the honest answers and then you can move away from the mind games and focus on the truth of what you want and what it will take to get it.
SABOTAGE: Self-sabotage is when you actively or passively take steps to prevent yourself from reaching your goals. When you are constantly sabotaging your own thoughts you are taking yourself off the path that you know means so much to you. There are many reason why we self sabotage such as – Instant gratification – and/or avoiding what needs to be done. But at the end of the day the Why isn’t always as important as learning to STOP.
The best way to stop sabotaging is to Plan your day. The reason for this is because when you have too much freedom and no plan it creates lack of self regulation. When you have a plan it immediately creates control from within. When you have control from within and you plan your day – as long as you follow that plan – you will be less likely to self sabotage.
MOTIVATION: If you are not disciplined enough to just walk away or just say NO -how do you stay on your path and lose the weight. MOTIVATION! Motivation represents the willingness to put your efforts in a particular direction so you can achieve your goals. Motivation is what makes you perform- It energizes your behavior and directs you to perform the activity by using your own enthusiasm. So a great example of this is when you give yourself that one solid week on program and you see your results – those results motivate you to do it again. But you have to start with putting the work in to that one solid week to create your own motivation.
VISUALIZE: This is big on my list these days. Don’t just think about it – but actually visualize it! When you visualize you are giving your brain a clear picture of what you want to feel and look like. When you do this the visualization sends a signal to your body to start behaving consistent with the image. It’s such a powerful skill most of us don’t even know we have. One of the best things you can do is think about an event you want to go to. It could be one day or multiple days. It could be as big as a wedding or as small as a beach day. The idea is to think about how you want to to look and feel that day. Think specifically about what you want to wear – and how you want to look and feel in it. Visualization is a simple technique that you can use to create a strong mental image of what you really want.
FINAL THOUGHTS…. Think about the end of the day and tomorrow. You finished your on program day. You are laying in bed a little hungry but not starving. You immediately feel lighter and healthier. You can tell in your body you have done the right thing – it doesn’t even matter what the scale says you know you are lighter. You followed your program and had a great day. You wake up the next morning and you feel even better. When you wake up after having an amazing day you can literally feel how light your body feels. And instead of dreading getting dressed you are excited about it. Happy and feeling good – that is always how you want to end and begin your amazing days.
The words you tell yourself everyday
will either Lift you Up
or they will Tear you Down
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
