Oct
15

Top 7 Ways Clients Can Get and Stay Motivated

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How do I get more motivated?

 

Studies confirm that both weight loss and exercise can achieve greater improvement in physical function as opposed to either intervention alone (N EnglJMed 2Ott;364:I2t8-29.). Nevertheless, before we get to this step we need to get motivated to implement both successfully.

 

Motivation, as defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is “a force of influence that causes someone to do something”.

 

Although it is difficult to predict which event or method of self-communication we use to become motivated or stay motivated, I will share strategies with you that have been effective with regular people like you and me.

Motivation Strategies Revealed

 

These motivation strategies were gathered during interviews with clients and other individuals who have gotten in shape, have focused on fitness and nutrition for a long time, and/or have recently lost 30+ pounds.

 

Their reports provide fool-proof strategies that have been successfully applied over and over.

 

Here are the Top 7 fool-proof motivation strategies that will fire you up and keep you going:

 

 

1) Be a role model

 

Have you ever heard teenagers say, “My mum (dad) is fat”? Parents certainly serve as role models to their children in terms of activity and diet.

 

If you are planning to start a family, you need to know that parental overweight has an impact on children’s birth weight and their fat distribution later in life  [1]

Your children’s health is ultimately influenced by you and your decisions. The more you move, the more active your children will be. It has been discovered that physical activity among children is similar to that of their parents in distinct and quantifiable ways [2]

 

The phrase, “I want to set a good example for the rest of my family” was included most often as a motivational strategy for parents with children among our client survey.

 

This strategy provides more than just a short-term strategy; it is also a great long-term strategy, since your children will see how you stay fit as you age and how active and independent you will stay during your life.

 

 

2) Schedule accountability

 

A successful accountability system is one with a personal touch. A study by the Department of Physical Education from St. Francis Collage New York examined whether online weight trainings programs are better then traditional weight training classes.

 

The results suggested that there is a limit to how much technology can be used in a weight training class. If this limit is exceeded, some type of monitoring systems appear necessary to ensure that students complete their workouts. [3]

 

This study implied that a personal monitoring system (a one-on-one program, for example) will help a person stay consistent with an exercise regimen and complete a workout or fitness program without giving up in the middle of the program.

 

Try scheduling early-morning workouts twice a week. Showing up at a scheduled activity is half of the difficulty of getting or staying in shape. Making it to the gym at the end of the day is, for many, very difficult, since the evening is a time when people feel compelled to go home to take care of the family or feel too tired from a challenging workday.

 

Clients have confirmed that it is most effective to get up earlier and get their exercise done before work starts and family obligations come up. Many people are beginning to realize that, when we don’t take care of ourselves, it is very difficult to take care of the needs of our families, friends, or colleagues around us.

 

Personal trainer sessions can be scheduled, or you can participate in group workouts. Accountability can also be created simply by scheduling with a friend an activity of choice once or twice a week.

 

 

3) Positive reinforcement

 

Think about the end result of your exercise – your payoff.

 

Think about the positive reinforcement you will receive from others.

 

Think also about the release of endorphins that make you feel so good after a vigorous workout.

 

Every action that you take will reinforce your connection to your goal. There will be days that you will feel discouraged or drained. Resolve these issues and maintain your commitment to your movement program. Talk to yourself in the mirror. Share your thoughts with your friends. Remember, you will always feel better with positive self-reinforcement and a workout.

 

Also, recognize that some decisions you make will be over-analyzed. Sometimes you will mull over a decision to such an extent that you will become incapable of moving in any direction at all.

 

Decide that you will move toward something and plan to stick with your decision. This behavior alone will create positive reinforcement for you to accomplish and move toward your established goal.

 

 

GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES:

If you need help determining how much movement you need, the following is a summary of the government-recommended guidelines for adults (http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/summary.aspx):

  • All adults should avoid inactivity. Some physical activity is better than none, and adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain some health benefits.
  • Engage in at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.
  • Perform muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or high intensity and involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.

These guidelines call for very little activity. However, if you are not active at all, implementing this activity into your lifestyle can be challenging for you at first. But, yes, you can do it.

 

 

4) The famous fat picture

 

Today we interact with others on Facebook and Instagram. Now you can follow via our timelines how we change throughout our lives. However, when someone posts a picture of us that is unflattering, we might react with shock. “What? This is me?”

 

Our first indication is to delete or throw out the offending image. But take a moment and think for a second − this photo might be the best motivation to change your body into a leaner and more defined one again. Use it for motivation − don’t throw it out. Face the challenge and work with it.

 

Therapy can play a very significant role in this process. In some cases, success might be archived only by seeking assistance to overcome weightism, depression, and low self-esteem. Step in the direction of professional help and find out why your weight gain happened. Take on this advantage for the achievement of your long-term success.

 

5) Set a goal

 

A goal gives you a point of destination; without a destination, you have no direction.

 

Dream big. Look around you, and you will see many creations that came about from the hands of those who dreamed big. So why not you as well? When you dream big, you need to break down your ultimate goal into many short-term goals. Brian Tracey, in his book “Goals,” writes that most people who have a goal in mind know what they have to accomplish in life. Without one, many people accomplish nothing.

 

What is your long-term goal for your weight, body fat, measurements, health, fitness, or activity levels? If you have reached one, have you set a new goal to replace it?

 

If your goal doesn’t excite you, then you have not set the right goal. It should be a challenging that forms your character but also molds you into the person you need to become. Dream big and go for it.

 

 

6) Independents

 

There are many factors that contribute to our independence as we age. Genes is one of them. A positive attitude and adequate income followed by support with personal health needs, housing and security, access to transport, opportunities for recreation, education, influence our quality of life in later years  (Dwyer, M. and A. Gray (forthcoming) Factors Affecting the Ability of Older People to Live Independently: A literature review, Ministry of Social Policy, Wellington).

 

You might have seen your parents or grandparents overcome difficulties related to these areas in their older age and can see the benefits that physical activity can being as they try to overcome challenges to stay fit and independent in their 60s, 70s, or older.

 

We need to acknowledge that we can live beyond 90 years old. Science has prolonged our lives and provided us new developments with groundbreaking medical care that has added additional years to our lives. Reaching the age of 70 is now the norm, as 50 was in the past.

 

It is heartbreaking to see someone’s leg being amputated due to diabetes or on an oxygen tank because of their life-long smoking habits. Regular, consistent activity is necessary for us to enjoy our daily tasks and activity.

 

Bad habits can lead to some unattractive consequences, and vanity can serve among the top motivational strategies.

 

 

7) Track yourself

 

Start a journal in which you track your progress.

 

What should you track? Everything. For example, track your weight, your body fat, how long you ran today, and how many repetition you did. If it is trackable, it can be improved. Set simple targets that can be accomplished.

 

Tracking your weight can give you a great indication of your weight loss when you start at a level that can be categorized as overweight or obese. Don’t ignore your weight gain if your goal objective is to gain lean muscle tissue. Your efforts to lift with increasing resistance will help increase your muscle mass (hypertrophy). Your physique will change, as will your weight, since lean muscle tissue is denser then fat tissue. Whatever your goal, track your weight and keep your goal objective in mind as you do so.

 

Tracking your body fat percentage will give you an idea how lean your body is and how much body fat you have reduced. Your weight at any point will be relative as explained by the points given below. You can look leaner and be fitter, yet you might have gained a couple of pounds since lean muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue.

 

The golden standard of measuring body fat would be aqua measuring, during which your body is fully submerged in a pool of water. The second-best solution, which we use in our practice, is caliber measurement. Three areas are measured with a caliber, and a chart is composed according to your measurements and age, giving you your current body fat percentage.

 

The circumference of your waist should also be collected. When you start to work out, your weight might stay the same, but your measurements change. You can build a different body shape, and such a measurement will confirm those changes. An additional benefit of collecting your circumference measurement is the knowledge of your reduction of internal organ fat, one of the most dangerous fats, which results in a dip in your waist-to-hip ratio.

 

Tracking your food intake is simple and effective. When you keep a food log, you are most likely to be on your best behavior. Nutritionists often have the biggest struggle with clients who do not keep such a log, since the nutritionist does not fully understand their clients’ true nutrition behavior.

 

A food log is very inexpensive, it keeps you accountable, and you can review your dietary behavior and how you can improve it. The best adjustment comes when you realize that most food does not support your goal objectives (e.g., weight loss, increased energy, or fat loss.

 

 

Two Bonus Strategies

 

The last two strategies are the strategies that will make you succeed.

 

 

Bonus 1) Find the right community

 

Access to the right support makes a great difference. Starting a program when the motivation is high is always easy. The difficulty comes in persevering when the first obstacle arises. Obstacles can come in form of lower back, neck, or knee injury; burn-out syndrome from doing too much too soon; the right advice at the wrong time; or uneducated advice based on yesterday’s scientific research. Scientific changes and new research has proven many methods incorrect that dictated common practice.

 

First, find a support system that helps you overcome these obstacles. Remove yourself from abusive or otherwise negative relationship to help improve your emotional well-being.

 

Social psychological research confirms that exercise is difficult to do alone. You often need an outlet or input for your unique situation that will keep you on track. When you have a discouraging moment, then those in your support system can lift you up more effectively than you can do alone.

 

 

Bonus 2) Now do it

 

Just get moving. Don’t wait for orders from your doctor that you need to lose weight, to improve your health, prevent diabetes, improve balance, gain flexibility, or slow your osteopenia.

 

Do not wait for an emergency event to happen in your life. Be proactive. Get moving.

 

We can help. If you don’t know how to get started, please come in for a personal and confidential consultation.

 

We would be honored to talk to you, to determine your needs, and to help you start down the path toward success. Click here to take your next step: My Next Chapter

 

Stefan Aschan

M.Sc., IMS,CPT, CSC, Naturopath,
New York Integrative Movement Specialists ™

 

 


[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23107928


[2] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23331386)

 


[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18545193

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