I often ask my patients at work, “What is motivating you to change your eating habits/lose weight?” Whether the goal is to maintain or improve health, the driving force to reach that goal is different for everyone.
- For some money was the motivation… cost of medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes… cost of buying bigger size clothing.
- For others quality of life was the motivation… to be more active with children… to be independent in activities of daily life such as tying their own tennis shoes… to improve joint, back, or knee pain.
- Some are motivated to improve health/lose weight for an upcoming event… a wedding… a class or family reunion… a beach vacation.
I tend to get very stressed out at times… my motivation is to maintain a healthy balance in my life for continued health.
(Above is me trying to be “zen-like” at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco)
While motivation influences our behaviors, having a plan for action is important in turning your goal into a reality. Setting short term and long term goals can make your ultimate goal seem more attainable. Also, visualizing yourself reaching your goals can help…
For example, yesterday once I got home from work and sat on the couch, I was exhausted! I knew Cory had a night class and it was up to me to cook a healthy dinner (I’m a lucky girl whose fiancé helps with the cooking regularly 
)… so I started picturing myself defrosting the shrimp which only takes a couple minutes under running water… then I visualized myself filling up a pot with water to boil the pasta… getting out my fabulous Wok… stir frying the shrimp and vegetables. Before I even finished visualizing all the steps to make Shrimp Pasta, I had already started defrosting the shrimp! I replaced my negative thoughts (I’m so tired) with positive thoughts (I can have this dinner cooked in less than twenty minutes).
What motivates you to maintain or improve your health?
you look so zen! we could do a dinner together next wednesday! i made salmon and rice last night – mmmm mmmm.
I think visualization is a big key to anything in life. You have to connect mind and body in order to do anything. I practice a lot of yoga, and there are certain poses that are really challenging. But, if I visualize myself doing it and just breathe my limbs eventually connect with my brain. : ) Maybe not today, but that’s why it’s called a practice. Just as in classic Buddhist philosophy, “First, you must help others – if that’s not possible, you must do no harm.” I have that as an alarm on my cell phone everyday to keep me focused. This starts by doing no harm to yourself. It’s hard to keep focused with so much negativity in this world, but it’s very much possible. I think everyone approaches exercise one of two ways : either very wound up and tense, or very lethargic and sleepy. The beauty of it is that it will balance you out and give you positive energy for the day and a good nights rest for the evening. No medication in the world can do that! You can’t bottle that up, unfortunately. I’ve always been told that I don’t smile enough, so I worked out a plan to smile while doing mundane tasks (washing dishes, doing laundry, taking out the trash etc. . .) It’s simple and silly, but it really makes the day so much easier to bear. Why complain about things that have to be done? They will still be there to do after we have expelled all the negative energy into the universe. We all make decisions in our lives based on fear or on love – let it be love (for ourselves, kids, dreams etc. . .) that drives us for a change. <3
So interesting that money is a motivation. I never thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense.
My motivation – I want to have kids, and a family, and I want to be able to care for them. I want to enjoy my life! Also, I just love the way I feel when I’m healthy. Yoga is wonderful
Jenna- that sounds yummy!
Rachel- Practicing yoga regularly is a major goal of mine… I love that quote! One of my favorite quotes is “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” We all have control over whether we view things positively or negatively… I try to stay positive
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