You made the resolution to lose weight this year and were off to a good start. The first two months of 2016 were filled with sweaty afternoons at the gym and early morning runs at Bill Schupp Park. But after two months, you’ve slacked on your daily workout routine. It’s now spring and your after work hours are now spent on the couch snoozing with a bowl of chips in your lap. Why is it so hard to stay committed to being healthy?
You are much more likely to go through with a workout routine if you create a fitness contract or make a pledge to a friend, according to Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert, assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University. Humiliation or the feeling of disappointment can also motivate you to keep your fitness promises, especially to a friend. And breaking those promises can work as a source of motivation.
It takes more than a pat on the back to get someone to commit to a workout. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, believes we must create a “habit loop” in which we associate our exercise accomplishments with a reward. Whether it’s a bowl of strawberries or an episode of The Walking Dead, treating yourself after your workout will make you feel good. This, in turn, will cause you to associate the workout with the reward, and you’ll soon make a habit of it.
If you’re lying in bed and can’t muster up the motivation to pack your gym bag and make it to the McAllen running trail down the road, fantasize about the good things. Maybe the wind in your hair or the warm sun on your skin makes you feel good. Maybe crossing that finish line gives you a euphoric feeling. Fantasize about these things and think about what’s holding you back. Make a plan to overcome that obstacle and follow through.
If your willpower just isn’t strong enough, you can count on Uptown Medical Wellness and Anti-Aging Center for some extra help. We can help you drop those pounds with the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) Diet. The diet uses the HCG pro-hormone, which stimulates your metabolism and helps develop a muscle-toned body by losing a pound a day.
Staying motivated to get healthy can be difficult when so much temptation surrounds us. Uptown Medical Wellness & Anti-Aging Center is here to help inspire you to look and feel better with our treatments. Make an appointment with us today in McAllen to meet our team and get on the road to a happier and healthier life.