
A question I get asked a lot is what to do when you just can’t seem to stick to your nutrition plan and health-related goals
The best answer I could ever give someone is … know WHY you are doing something in the first place!
Do you want to look better? Feel better? Keep up with your kids? Perform better at the gym or in your sport? Improve your health in some way? Understanding Your Why, is extremely important and can help motivate you to keep going!
Then ask yourself these questions:
“How important are these goals to you?”
“What do you need to do in order to achieve them?”
“Are you willing to do the work/take action towards achieving them?”
Take this time, reflect on your goals and desires, make a plan to achieve them, and allow your “why” to propel you to success; pick you up when you fall; and push you through moments of challenge.
WRITE DOWN YOUR WHY and refer to it often! The bathroom mirror or on top of my journal are the two spots I look at every day that I like to put these types of reminders.
Eventually, your motivation to stay on track with your goals will fail you … you are human! Then you will have a reminder as to why you are doing these things, and this reminder can be just the thing that you need to move you forward and continue to take action towards your goals.
Remember, it is one thing to DESIRE something, but when you put it in the context of why you really want this in your life, what this means to you, and what your life will look like when you achieve your goals, you are more compelled to place it high on your priority list and take actions towards this desire.
For me, I have always been interested in health and nutrition, I have NEVER been an athlete but always wanted to be. So initially, my “why” for eating healthy and going to the gym was a strong desire to look a certain way. This “why” propelled me to live a lifestyle that was conducive to this goal – I focused on eating a certain way, going to the gym a few times per week, and managing my stress and sleep.
A few years later, my “why” shifted … I didn’t actually FEEL good because I had developed food intolerances, and spent a good part of my late afternoon lying on the couch in pain. This why was a pretty strong driving force to follow an elimination diet, heal my gut and ultimately FEEL better.
NOW my current driving force is to be healthy and keep up with my kids … I cannot think of a better thing to motivate a person! I take this desire with me to the gym 4x per week where I GET to workout in a sport I love, in a place I love, with people I love. Our why may change, and that is life, but the important thing is to know why you are doing something and put yourself first in order to achieve your goals.
Author: Robyn Stewart
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