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Making Healthy Changes: How to Maintain Your Motivation
by Margaret Ashmore, LCSW
Most of us who seek change do so voluntarily. Why then, is it easy to "get off track"? Our desire for instant gratification and perfectionist attitudes can get in the way. Change usually occurs in stages. Rarely, does one decide to change and become immediately successful at maintaining new behaviors. Habits take time to form. Even unhealthy habits, such as smoking or excessive drinking usually start out as experimental behaviors. Changing behavior so that it becomes a way of life is something that develops over time.
Most of us brush our teeth everyday, usually at least twice. Even though we spend little time thinking about it we do so because it is a habit. Yet, we didn’t start out brushing daily, all on our own. We had help; reminding, much prompting and maybe even a cavity or two before it became a part of our daily life.
Approach developing other healthy habits the same way. Expect change to occur in stages and over time. Choose reasonable goals that fit with your current lifestyle. Challenge yourself to take on new goals while at the same time being patient.
Below are some tips to get started and to help you maintain change.
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Make a long-term goal for healthy eating and exercise to become a way of life.
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Make a short-term goal of adding one or two new behaviors over a period of time and then increase your goals. For example, add walking to your schedule two times weekly. After doing this successfully for two weeks add another day of walking, or add weight training two times a week along with the walking.
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Choose reasonable goals that work with your schedule. Get up fifteen minutes earlier.
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Walk one day at lunch.
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Work toward healthy behavior by eating more vegetables instead of focusing on cutting out foods.
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Give yourself positive reminders. Have your exercise clothes ready when you wake up. Ask someone to be your work out buddy. Write positive notes to yourself and stick them in obvious places.
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Prepare healthy meals in advance if you have a demanding schedule.
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If you get off track pick a new start date and don’t look back.
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Make positive self-statements about your effort, not just the results.
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Evaluate your life and determine what changes you need to make to create time for continued success of your goals: Am I able to reduce my work hours? Could I ask a friend to baby-sit?
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Be patient. Results do not usually occur immediately but if you continue on the path of good health you will see benefits.
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Above all, don't give up!
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