Finding Motivation and Overcoming Exercise Negativity

When you are participating in a medical weight loss program, finding the motivation to exercise and eat right day after day can be difficult. This is especially true when you are just getting started. Exercise can feel disruptive to your habits and routines. It can be intimidating and can even feel unpleasant as you work. To see the weight loss results you want, you need to find motivation to keep up the good habits. A few things that work:

Don’t Set Unrealistic Goals

If you try to lose 15 pounds in a week, you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. Likewise, going from being completely sedentary to doing an hour of high intensity aerobics every day is unrealistic. Start with goals that make sense for your current weight and level of fitness. One to two pounds a week is a good, sustainable goal. Make workout goals with your current level of physical activity in mind; by not overworking yourself, you make it more likely that you will avoid injury and stick with the program.

Don’t Let a Setback Sabotage You

Did you skip a couple of days? It can be difficult to start up again. But, you need to restart without recriminations to continue your progress.

This is also true if you backslide on dietary goals or if you find that you are not losing weight as quickly as you’d hoped. Sometimes, you will hit weight plateaus and see less visible progress than at other points in the process. Talk to your doctor or a trainer about altering your routine in ways that can spur further weight loss.

Make Exercise Rewarding

Set up milestones to surpass. They can be small to start, like working out every day for a week. When you reach these goals, reward yourself. A reward can be something like a new pair of running shoes, a manicure or a massage. Then, set a new and more challenging goal.

Do everything you can to make exercise itself a reward, as well. Choose activities that you enjoy. If walking on the treadmill is a chore, you might want to think of some alternatives, such as signing up for a beginners dance class, or a yoga class instead. Some people find that team sports work well, while others enjoy solitary activity. By making exercise something you eagerly anticipate, you can maintain motivation and achieve the weight loss goals that you set for yourself and your health.