Time To End The Excuses

ENOUGH WITH THE EXCUSES ALREADY

At what point do you stop trying to analyze yourself and just look in the mirror and say, "Enough! Time for a change!" You should be nearing that moment if it hasn't already occurred. It is certainly important to figure out why you have the health behaviors you have, but there comes a time when the analyzing needs to come to some fruition so you can get busy with getting healthy. If you're the type of person who does well with a militant style when the time comes to make a life change then maybe it's time to get tough with yourself. Stop making excuses, figure out what you have to do in order to get healthier, and get going.

Motivate yourself by having a mantra that you can refer to whenever you start to feel as though you aren't giving the effort one hundred percent. Something like a small note that says something like "No excuses!" or "Do you want to die young?" may be the kind of motivation that you need in order to stay on track with your quest for better health. Just know that although there comes a time for everyone when excuses and analyzing need to take a backseat to actually doing what you need to do, if you are not a fan of a direct motivational approach then it may be best to avoid carrying around a confrontational note that will do nothing more than annoy you and maybe even thwart your efforts. If a tough approach works for you, though, by all means give it a try and see if that type of motivation is what you need. Don't be afraid to experiment with different motivational methods until you finally find one that actually works.

Know your triggers. Do you have one certain friend with whom you always wind up getting so sloppy drunk that you end the evening throwing up in the bathroom? Or maybe you have a certain time of year - such as the anniversary of a breakup or death - that always derails you and makes you sad enough to hole yourself up in your home for a couple of weeks, not exercising and eating entirely too much. If you understand that you have triggers that keep you from advancing in your quest to better health then you have already partly won the battle, but the rest of the win comes with avoiding these triggers or learning how to deal with them effectively.

In the previous examples, one solution might be to either avoid going out with the drinking friend or find a social event the two of you can do together that does not involve drinking at all. With the depressing anniversary scenario you might think ahead and prepare yourself for the upcoming time by scheduling plenty of fun outings or maybe even an active vacation during that time. Or, even better, you might decide once and for all that you aren't going to allow this anniversary to have an adverse effect on you anymore and then move on with your life. This is probably easier said than done, of course, but you'll never know until you give it a try. You may be surprised at the power you have to take control of situations you once thought you had no control over, especially when they are for the betterment of your health.

MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE

Have you figured out yet what motivates you? It really doesn't matter if your motivation comes from silly things or deep things or even if your only motivation is to be able to run a mile within a certain amount of time. If you know your motivation then embrace it and use it for all it's worth. Do you feel silly that you think you might be motivated by a shopping expedition as a reward for achieving some goals toward getting healthier? There is nothing silly about it. If it's what is going to push you through and keep you on track then go ahead and promise yourself that shopping spree when you have reached your pre-specified goals.

This will give you the motivation you need until it's time to set some other goals and use some different motivators. You can use the image in your mind of you happily waltzing through the store, picking out different items for purchase, all with an amazingly satisfied grin on your face because you worked hard for this moment. The thought of a shopping spree may not be your cup of tea, but you need to figure out what will work best for you. For some people, the image of a healthier and happier self is all that they need for motivation to get healthy, and if that's the case for you then that's great.

If you are like most people, however, you need a few rewards along the way and there is nothing wrong with that. Figure out what rewards will help you avoid the bad foods and incorporate exercise into your day, and then use these rewards as motivation to keep going. Remember that your motivational rewards do not necessarily have to be noble in nature. As long as the motivation works for you that's all that matters.

On the next page we will examine exactly What Is "Better Health?"