Find the Motivation to Lose Weight and Get Healthy

Often times, the hardest part of starting anything, especially a weight loss program, is the motivation to do it. Simply being fed up with your weight is not very motivating. It may get you started, but unless you have a big enough “Why” it’s not likely you’ll stick with it very long.

For a long time, I simply hadn’t been motivated to lose weight. Sure, the desire to be healthier was there, but that isn’t the same thing as being motivated to get started. Starting this fall, I got serious about taking care of my body and I invite you to join in, too!

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Here are some good motivational reasons for starting and sticking to a weight loss plan.

The Best Motivations

  • To look and feel better. This is a great reason to get started on a weight loss plan. Focus on this and keep these thoughts in the forefront of your mind. Not only will weight loss give you more energy and help you fit better into your clothes, the benefits it has on your overall mood are great motivator, too.
  • To improve your health. This is one of the most beneficial reasons and I think the key reason to start a weight loss plan. If your health has started to suffer or you just want to prevent the onset of ailments that are caused by being over weight and out of shape, think about how what you’re eating will affect your body.

A Few Fun Motivators

  • Buy cuter clothes. People used to tell you to look your age. Luckily, that old advice has gone out the window. As much as I hate to say it — we all know the really stylish clothes often come in smaller sizes. You’re tired of being stuck in over-sized tee-shirts and baggy pants. Personally, I’m ready to burn my yoga pants. Losing weight so you can buy clothes that are trendy and in style is a great way to keep you focused on your goals. Maybe you have some clothes tucked into the back of your closet that you’d love to fit into. Pull them out and look at them. Remember how you felt when you were wearing them and focus on being able to wear them again.
  • Win a bet with a friend. Having someone you can compete with is a great way to boost your efforts, keep you focused and make you work harder to reach your desired weight.
  • Bribe yourself. Make it simple in the beginning and work your way up. For example, when you lose five pounds, you’ll do something indulgent for yourself, like getting a spa mani/pedi. Work out three times a week for the entire month? Buy that pair of shoes you’ve been coveting!

Meaningful Motivators

  • For your kids. Many people have lost weight to benefit their children, so they could spend time with them playing in the park and doing fun family stuff. If you’re having a hard time finding the motivation for yourself, maybe it’s time you considered your children or even your spouse. Wanting to get out and have an active life is a great reason to get in shape, period. Go for it!
  • Run in a marathon, for yourself or a good cause. A lot of people have been motivated to get in shape so they can finally say they ran a marathon. Others have prepared for a marathon that supported a good cause they believed in. It doesn’t have to be big. One of my friends recently ran in her first 5K. Whichever reason you want to do this is a good motivator to get you started and keep you going.

My Personal Motivators

  • My boys — who need a mom who can be as active as they are
  • My closet full of clothes — only a percentage of which I can wear

We all need motivation and support. Join my online community by clicking the weight ticker above and adding me as a friend so we can cheer each other on!

We all need a motivator and an extra boost to get us moving and working towards our goals. What do you picture over and over in your mind that makes you want to achieve this goal and stick with it every day? It may be something completely different than the ones mentioned above. However, you will have more success if you have a very good reason why you want to lose the weight. Decide what that is and give it your all.

What is your motivation for living a healthy lifestyle?

8 Comments

  1. Last year at my annual exam both my cholesterol and blood pressure were borderline high. As in almost needing prescription meds. 3 months ago I started the Curves Complete program and have lost 11 pounds and am down a dress size. Just got results from this year’s annual exam: current BP 106/66, cholesterol is 230 down from 247, LDL is 134 down from 142. THIS is my biggest motivating factor — feeling better and no prescriptions needed!

  2. I just posted an article on my journey to lose 10lbs. I agree getting motivated will be the first step! I will be sharing your post on facebook as a compliment to my post!

  3. Love this post! I’ll be pinning it to read again, when I need to re-examine that motivation! Thanks!

  4. This is such a great list of suggestions for someone looking to lose weight or even thinking about doing it. I especially like the part about the stylish clothes.

  5. I think this is such a remarkable list of suggestions. I also think that a person needing/wanting to lose weight should take full advantage of SparkPeople.com. It’s a wonderful resourceful site full of lots of support and ways to help a person lose weight.

  6. Wow, those are all good motivators. You have to find something that bridges the gap between thinking about it and taking action. For me, it was full out health. I don’t feel as well when I gain weight, eat bad and am not as active. To live my full life to the fullest, I HAVE to stay healthy.

  7. Great bits of motivation! I have quite a few – a long-term big one but hard to keep in mind daily is setting a good example and creating healthy habits for my kids. A REALLY great shorter term motivator is participating in DietBets each month – I’ve made quite a bit of cash reaching my goals! I also have a bunch of clothes in my closet I’m dying to fit into.

    Thanks so much for linking up with us at Tips and Tricks Tuesday!!

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