As a wellness entrepreneur, certified personal trainer, and culinary nutrition instructor, I spend inordinate amounts of time pouring through the latest research on exercise, diet, and especially weight loss. While the data and study conclusions are certainly helpful, nothing intrigues me more than the common success of everyday people who experience lasting, healthful transformations.
Whether you want to lose 5 (or 50) pounds, go vegetarian, run a marathon (or just around the block), eat out less, eat out better, or simply fit into the jeans you wore before the ones you’re wearing now, learn to master the 3 things our most successful clients have in common:
mo·ti·va·tion: The reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
- Why do you want to _______ ? [Insert your wellness goal]
- How will your life be different once you reach your goal?
- Will other people notice the change? If not, do you still want to change?
- Once you reach your goal, what will be your incentive to maintain it?
- What captivates you about this goal anyway?
- Is worth the sacrifice? Why or why not?
- What will you regret most about not achieving your goal?
plan·ning: The process of thinking about and organizing the activities required to achieve a desired goal (also called forethought)
- What will it take to reach your goal? How do you know?
- When will you get these steps done?
- How much money will it cost? How much money are you willing to spend?
- What will you be giving up and for how long? Can you live with that?
- Who is on your support team? Who is working against your success?
- What will you do when you experience a setback?
- Once you reach your goal, what’s next? How will you maintain the change?
- What kind of education do you need to get the job done?
con·sist·en·cy: The achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time
- How will you handle things when you’re exhausted? Lonely? Broke? Out of town? At a party? With your husband?
- Where will you find the time?
- Is this a permanent lifestyle change or a temporary fix?
- How can you don the armor of a NO MATTER WHAT attitude?
- What 5 things could most likely prevent you from being consistent? How can you address them up front?
- When the initial high wears off, how can you be assured that you’ll keep going?
Motivation, planning, and consistency are a triple-threat to any unhealthy habits you may be trying to change. Without them, you can expect a lot of turbulence and a crash landing. But with them, the friendly skies are awaiting you.
