Lifestyle Changes: Staying Motivated
Lifestyle Changes: Staying MotivatedPg 1TranscriptMaking a lifestyle change is not easy. You are trying to change a behavior you have lived with for along time and you are trying to change it for the rest of your life.In the first few days and weeks of making a change, you feel great. You are beginning to notice thehealth benefits and you feel better overall. But as time goes by it’s easy to get frustrated. You maystop seeing a lot of progress.“So that’s about a pound up from last week.”“I had been losing weight and now I’m up. Which is depressing.”Sometimes your progress won’t follow a straight line even though you feel like you are trying justas hard. You may want to give up. Instead, find ways to stay motivated to keep working towardyour goal. It’s worth it.To stay motivated, first, take a look at your goals. Are they realistic and achievable? Or do theymake you feel frustrated and overwhelmed? If so, it may be time to re-evaluate your goals andchange your plan. It is ok to make changes to your goals, especially if it keeps you motivated.“My husband and I do fall off the wagon and love to eat junk food sometimes, so we havewhat we call cheat days. And those days, that’s the day that doesn’t count.”Or you may want to adjust how you are making the changes. You may be in a rut and bored. Forexample, if you are trying to increase the amount of exercise you do but get on the same treadmillevery day, maybe you need to mix it up a bit. Try a different form of exercise. It may help you staymotivated to do that one extra session a week.“I’m not the kind of person who’s going to get on the treadmill and exercise. I never havebeen that. I thrive on competition or goal-oriented kind of work, so I like going out andworking in these community gardens. I like working in my backyard.”You may find it easier to stay motivated if you make a change with a family member or friend.Together, you can come up with fun ways to reach your goals and support each other along theway.“We like to keep active. We like to do it together when we can. One Mother’s Day we wenton a hike down to Patapsco Park.”One of the best ways to keep motivated to move toward your goal is to get feedback on yourprogress. You may actually be doing better than you think.Set up a time to meet with your healthcare team and go over your health goals; both short-termand long-term, and review your progress. And remember, even some change is a good reason tofeel good about yourself.When you do meet a goal, reward yourself for a job well done.This program is for informational purposes only; for all health related issues please contact your healthcareprovider. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this videofor medical decision making. gn_10224_98 ©Milner-Fenwick, Inc.Lifestyle Changes: Staying MotivatedPg 2“I have a Fitbit and it’s wonderful when I get to 10,000 steps and it vibrates on my arm. It’slike celebration time.”Find a healthy way to celebrate and pat yourself on the back for each success. Whatever rewardyou choose to give yourself, make sure it doesn’t get in the way of staying on track. Then keepyour next reward in mind as you try to reach another goal.And finally, be patient. You may not see quick results. And it may take you longer than you expectto change your habits. But remember, you are doing this for a healthier you, and you are worth it.This program is for informational purposes only; for all health related issues please contact your healthcareprovider. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this videofor medical decision making. gn_10224_98 ©Milner-Fenwick, Inc.
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