Are you ready to live a healthy lifestyle?

Photo by GlamLive

Most people who begin a fitness program start off with enough enthusiasm to move an army through mud. They have the motivation, the desire, and the tools to push through the hardest workout routine because they have a goal in mind and maybe even on paper.  However, it is not all that uncommon to find all the enthusiasm and motivation becoming less pronounced.  It happens and it is the cause for many yo-yo dieters.  You start a new diet, you go full speed ahead and give it your all.  Eventually you get tired of the same old thing, you give in to temptations and it's all over, you're back to the same old bad habits.

The problem, for the most part, is the goal we set for ourselves.  Sometimes they are so unrealistic and unattainable that we feel like we're on a road with no end in sight.  There is a true science to gaining muscular strength and losing body fat and it does not, it cannot happen overnight, I don't care how many promises you get from the weight-loss marketing gurus around the globe.

To avoid the ups and downs and have a better chance at sticking with the program you have to think realistically, write down smaller, short-term goals, and give yourself a little dose of knowledge --know how to reach those goals.

Weight-loss, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility all require commitment, hard work, and motivation.  So first ask yourself:

1. What is my motivation you to lose weight, get in shape, get strong, run faster and further? 
2. What is my short term goal?  What is my long term goal?  
3. Do I have what it takes to commit to a lifestyle change? 
4. Am I willing to "fit" physical activity into my busy schedule?
5. Am I willing to spend a little more time preparing healthy meals and reading food labels?

Find out for yourself what you are willing to do and come up with a fool-proof plan you can stick with long term, write it down where you can see it, keep track of your progress and soon you will realize that living a healthier lifestyle is not rocket science and that you too can succeed.

Never say never!

The words "I Can't" should not be in your vocabulary.

Don't try, just do!

Plan to succeed and you will!

Stay Well,

Cross posted at BlogHer

Comments

[Irene]

I so agree. I've written about goal setting a few times myself.

[jen boda]

I agree that most of us suffer from loss of motivation if we aren't seeing results as quickly as we want. I also think that we do well until we stumble a bit and then that gives us the impetus to quit. If we can't go big we don't want to go at all. We need a mental paradigm shift. It's about long term health as well as short term goals. If all we can manage to do one day is to walk a half mile or even quarter mile, that is better than nothing. We need to remember that.

jen
http://www.bodaweightloss.com/blog

[Anna]

My biggest downfall is to spend the time to prepare the healthier foods, Do you have any quick recipes to share???

[Mike Foster]

You hit the nail on the head: goals, especially weight loss goals, are tough to keep up with. One thing we all need to remember is this: it too a while to get out of shape, therefore it will take some time to get back INTO shape.

peace,
mike
livelife365

[Spin Diva]

@ Irene - Thanks for visiting.

@ Jen - "we need a mental paradigm shift" is so hard to achieve when you have advertisements and commercials promising miracles in a short period of time. I say if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

@ Anna -- sometimes that is the first hurdle we must overcome then once we realize how yummy food taste when its made from scratch with fresh fruits and/or vegetables then we try harder to eat better. I do have some recipes I'll be sharing soon...working on that. So come back again soon.

@ Mike another good point on realizing that it takes time, it is not easy nor is it quick and when it is quick, generally, it is a set up to fail.

[order ultram]

motivations comes from within..motivation increases your confident to do something you want to do. for example you want to loose weight. Motivate yourself that loosing weight is very important for your health.