The Only Two Secrets to Motivating Yourself You Will Ever Need

The more I learn about motivation the more I realize that it isn’t that complicated to figure out.
There are numerous tips that can help, many that I’ve used very successfully over the years. But technically, I have found that it really boils down to just two things.

And those two things are so deceptively simple that you might decide to stop reading after I name them:

1) make things enjoyable
2) use positive public pressure (accountability).

What I Learned From My Experiences

Over the last few years, I’ve been experimenting with achieving various goals — from limiting TV viewing to 3hrs per week, to eliminating all debt and living frugally and simply and much more.  What I’ve learned has repeatedly taught me that these two key motivation principles are all you need.

I’ve learned some other things as well, but the more I stick to my goals, the more I realize that it’s these two themes that keep resurfacing. So now I have 2 new challenges in my life and it’s the perfect opportunity to tell you how I apply these principals. First: I want to lose 136lbs while continuing to change my dietary lifestyle to a healthier one. And second, I want to be dedicated to physical fitness, i.e. one who regularly works out in-spite of moderate to advanced R.A. And since I refuse to compromise my joints any further, I am slowly developing a personalized fitness protocol that fully encompasses all physical challenges and limitations so that I can continue to be active for the remainder of my life no matter what. Truth is, I absolutely love being active and moving around so the challenges for me are to determine what physical activities I am able to do, how frequently I can do them and how long per session (before rest is needed). It’s a balancing act and I won’t have a complete picture until I reach my goal weight. I expect my joints will become more and more comfortable as the weight starts to come off which will allow me to do more activities. But like everything else I do in life –> slow and steady wins the race.  

My lofty weight loss goal will have to be reached exclusively with diet. Exercise will play only  a minor role in the process (a role that will grow with time). So the first principal is ‘make it enjoyable’.  For fitness I do that by incorporating things I love to do with exercise. For instance, I walk 4-6 hours a week at the mall or the outlets or some other huge exciting department stores (usually a combination). Sometimes I have to drag myself away from it… And then there’s swimming – I absolutely adore swimming and can literally spend all day long in the pool. As the weather warms on the east coast I’m sure I’ll discover some other things I like to do and so I’ll update this again during the summer.

The second principal is accountability. Sure I told my family, friends, and colleagues but it wasn’t enough. So I started a blog and then a weight loss community to go with it. I love writing so blogging is right up my alley and Healthy Evolution is growing slowly but surely keeping me engaged and focused – I cannot tell you how much I love these activities. The entire process is a very enjoyable hobby that I look forward to every single day.   

So that’s it – that’s how I stay motivated.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress every step of the way.

STATS
Journey Day:	108
Today's Calories:	1740
Daily Calorie Goal:	1700
Next Weigh In:	5/7/14
Days till Weigh-In:	7
Starting Weight:	351
Current Weight:	336
Lost So Far:	15

DAILY CALORIE TRACKER
Wednesday 4/30/14
	Calories
Breakfast
English Muffin (light)	100
PB2 & Strawberry Jam	120
Sliced Fresh Strawberries	100
Hazelnut Crème Decaf	0
Organic Mixed Greens	0
Total:	320
Hazelnut Coffee	0
1oz Mixed Nuts	160
Total:	160
Lunch
Shrimp Salad	400
Warm Pita	200
Sparkling water with lemon	0
Total:	600
Snacks
Red Delicious	60
Total:	60
Dinner
Grilled chicken w/quinoa	600
Fresh Spinich - steamed	0
Total:	600
Snacks
Hazelnut Crème Decaf	0
Daily Total:	1740
Daily Calorie Goal:	1700
25 min exercise (minimum)	Yes