So, one of the best questions that I get asked is this. “So John, once you got started with your weight loss, how did you keep it up?” or “I cannot seem to keep myself motivated”, how do you do it?”
Excellent question.
I know I have mentioned on several occasions that losing weight is as much mental as it is physical. Anyone can just say, “Oh, I want to do this, this, and this, but actually doing it is another story. So, there are several things that I use as motivation.
I think the biggest motivator is the progress, the actual physical progress that you can see the longer that you go along. The declining scale readings, the bigger clothes that I used to wear getting bigger and bigger on me, the fact that I can actually see my collarbone! I think the changes you can see are just as important as the changes you can just “feel”. I’m not saying that feeling good about yourself isn’t a motivator too, but having that physical result is a huge plus as well. It’s like taking a test. You can feel good about taking a test, but once you get the results and see the physical test back, it is even more gratifying.
I also contribute it to my competitive nature. Once I started tracking my walks and had a number to go with the working out, I always wanted to be better. I would look at my pace the one day and strive to beat it the next day or I would choose the same distance and see if I can improve my times. I have “mental” races with people I walk past. If I see someone walking on the other side of the street further up the road, I will pick a point and do my best to beat that person to that point. This is a great practice especially when I am walking/running on an actual track. Once, I had the physical numbers in front of mine, I always keep striving to get those to keep improving. It’s almost like I am an athlete and those tracking totals are my stats. You always want to improve upon your personal bests, yes?
Another motivating factor for me is my past. I’ve met a lot of unkind folks that weren’t very kind to not-so-little, overweight John. I guess everyone goes through that at one time or another in their school years, but it seems that “fat” kids are a huge, no pun intended, target for their ridicule. So, I use those lovely folks as motivation. If I am struggling on a vehicle, I picture one of those terrific people and it makes me work a little bit harder. I guess in a way, I am trying to “show” them how much better I am than they are. They will always be the same, pathetic losers, but here I am changing myself in a big way for the better. I win. You lose.
That, my friends, is truly the best revenge. Truly.
Of course, there’s always Gympact, the app that I have been using for a long time now that helps me earn money for my workouts. I know I have at least one convert to the app so far and have been advertising it like crazy. Give it a look-see: http://gym-pact.com/. I can vouch for it.
The Walking Non-Dead 