Staying Motivated
Ever lose steam with a diet? Lose motivation in the gym? Here’s a question I received this week about motivation accompanied by some suggestions. If you have any other tips on how to stay motivated … please post them in our Health, Fitness, & Wellness Forum, here.
Question: PJ, [I’ve] Got a question about the zone. I’ve been on the zone on and off but for some reason it seems I am slipping. I was hoping what’s your motivation and how do you stay focus? Do you use recipes from the zone or do you make your own?
Answer: Hey XXXX, let me turn that around on you =). What is YOUR motivation? Or what is your goal? It’s important that you have a goal that you are working towards … something that you REALLY want. Remembering that or thinking about it may help you to stick to it. For me, training to hopefully get to the games (long term) and for upcoming boxing matches (short term), and generally wanting to be healthy and feel good about myself all keep me interested in making choices–nutritionally and otherwise–that help me to achieve those objectives. Looking back over the last decade of training, I’ve always worked the hardest when I had something specific I needed to be fit for. If just thinking about it isn’t enough, find something more concrete to remind you. I’ve seen individuals buy clothes that are the size that they want to fit in and leave them somewhere that they can see so that they are constantly reminded why they do what they do. Posting a picture of yourself at your best–or someone else who you admire–on the fridge, is another simple reminder. Additionally, don’t forget to tell someone about your goals and what you need to do to reach them, and ask them to encourage you to stick to the plan. Accountability is huge.
On the other side of the coin is looking at your diet and asking yourself … IS THIS SOMETHING THAT I CAN CONTINUE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE? That’s ONE of the obvious reasons that many diets fail. People simply can’t eat just cabbage soup for the rest of your life, lemons will get boring, and so will completely avoiding any one macronutrient. So make sure that your diet includes a VARIETY of foods that you ENJOY every day. There are many delicious things that fit well within the zone. Also, cheating is okay sometimes. You may find that “relaxing” your diet 1 day a week, or for one meal twice a week improves the overall sustainability and satisfaction — which in turn will help long-term progress (would you rather lose 5 pounds in two weeks [and regain it later], or 25 pounds in 6 months [and keep it off]?). Some people are very successful by being strict Monday through Friday and then relaxing (within reason!) on the weekends. Others might throw in a few small things throughout the week without any changes to weekend habits. Both strategies will improve long-term sustainability … results will come.
To answer your other question: I try some recipes if I see something I like. I really prefer to just experiment. It’s always been pretty easy to start with a meat (get a variety) and cook it different ways (grill, bar-b-que, bake, broil, simmer, stew, change up spices, etc.) and pair it with various different veggies prepared in different ways (steam, grill, stir fry, eat them raw, prepare a salad, make a soup, crock pot with some meat, dip them in sun butter, etc.). Add in some fruit, some healthy fat … simple as that. Just make sure that you stock your kitchen with healthy ingredients so it’s easy to whip something up in a pinch.
Posted 23 September 2009
