This is letter #7 in Her Weight loss Diary's new series - 30 Days Letters to My Diet Buddy project. The road to weight loss can be tough. If you want to feel like you aren't alone in your diet endeavors, buddying up can hold you accountable for every bite you take. Subscribe here, because you don't want to miss any letter.
P.s. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts, the best thoughtful comments will be featured every Friday.
Dear Diet Buddy,
There are 9 days remaining until the end of the month of July. How are you doing so far with the goals you set? If you find yourself off track and you can't stick to your goal for the long term, I have a good news for you. I mean, for us.
"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." ― Samuel Johnson
We all sometimes have trouble staying focused on our goals. And that has nothing to do with self-discipline or your level of willpower. We humans are creatures of habit or repetitive behaviors. Habits help us through our daily lives. We do things that are simply routine and automatic. For example, you drive to work using the same route, have a cup of coffee or tea, check your e-mails, update your schedule, etc. Some mornings you have a meeting at a different time, or have to drive a different way to work, but you tend to go back to your habits. But sometimes habit can also be a very bad thing. Snack every night in front of the television is unhealthy. Emotional eating, junk-food binges can leads to unnecessary weight gain. Sitting too long can be deadly. To break a routine or habit is difficult. Like making yourself go to the gym, when you do not want to. Like not be eating cheese doodles while watching television, even though you have a nearly uncontrollable urge to reach one.
You resolve to change your bad habits. Sometimes you succeed but often you fail. That is because we’re just too used to and comfortable with our routines. It takes small decisions that turn into small action.
So, how do you stay motivated and reach your goal? Allow yourself to reward yourself!
READ ALSO: 10 Powerful Ways to Keep You Motivated to Lose Weight
If you make a plan to reward yourself as you get closer to reaching your goal, you'll get motivated and continue to follow the course of your goals. This creates momentum and soon enough those choices become second nature. And before you know it, you have reached your goal.
So what is your next mini goal and action going to be? Will it bring you closer to your goal or push it further away?
Yours truly,
Usually, I reward myself with new clothes or a big cheat meal. But it really depends on how much progress I've made!
ReplyDeleteI agree about small decisions or what I always call baby steps! I like to tackle all goals with baby steps. It might seem weird, but currently I'm working on not getting behind on emails so I'm checking and deleting right when I get up and before I go to bed and try once in the middle of the day.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about small goals and rewards for each one. Nail art is cool! I've never tried that.
ReplyDeleteKate Hall, rewarding myself with a cheat meal once a week give myself a little bit of mental sanity.
ReplyDeleteJoi @ Rx Fitness Lady, thanks for sharing your experience. Baby steps is one way to keep motivated and focused on the big prize.
Tamara Camera, I love nail art but I couldn't maintain one since I am a stay at home mom and practically do everything in the house. But when I have a big party coming up, rewarding myself with nail art is a great idea to bribe myself to stick to my game plan.
Thanks all for sharing your thought.