The following question was posted by one of my readers, "I have diabetes and I'm having trouble staying consistent and motivated. I'm usually good for about 2 weeks and then I go back to my old ways of eating and lack of exercise. How can I stay motivated?"It isn't easy to change habits, especially those that we have had for a long time. The key is to start small, and once you see yourself succeed, you'll have the motivation to continue.
Try the following to help with motivation and to stay consistent:
Set short term goals that are attainable.
**For example, instead of setting a goal to workout an hour per day or to go to the gym everyday, set a goal to work out 3 or 4 times per week. However, you can start "small" and work your way up. When you see yourself succeeding at the 3 or 4 days, you will feel motivated.
**Another example, would be instead of setting a goal saying that you are going to stop eating ice cream (for example) everyday, set a goal that you will allow yourself a low calorie frozen portioned dessert (i.e. Skinny Cow, Weight Watchers Frozen Treat) a couple of times a week or allow yourself one 1-Cup portion of ice cream on the weekend and one during the week.
Another way to stay consistent (and stay motivated) is to keep a journal or make a chart of your successes. Get a blank notebook, date the page, and list all the positive choices that you made that day. For example, I could list that on a particular day:
*I skipped eating a slice of cake at the company party
*I exercised for an hour on the treadmill
*I took the stairs instead of the elevator at the office
* I drank 8 glasses of water throughout the day
* I had 3 pieces of fruit during the day
*I used skim milk instead of half and half in my coffee
As you look back on your successes and positive choices, you'll find that you stay motivated!
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