Keep. Moving. Forward.

Week Five. The enthusiasm of my initial plans for eating and exercise is starting to wane. Planning meals and fitting workouts in is feeling like work and the rewards are coming slowly. With this in mind it seemed like a good time to remember the reasons and motivation behind my new and improved lifestyle.

Motivation is defined as the process that elicits, controls and sustains certain behaviors. I like to think about 3 different types of motivators and use them in developing my strategies and plans for improving my fitness and health. First up are immediate motivators. These are the daily obligations, rewards and rules that keep us on track. Trainers telling us we have only 5 more reps, avoiding dessert due to a morning weigh in and signing up for an exercise class are all immediate motivators. These motivators often revolve around other people. We don't want our friends to be upset by no showing for our walk. Praise and positive feedback we might receive from trainers and even online communities bring us pleasure, a touch of pride and keeps us moving.

We have all probably used short term motivators at some point. An upcoming class reunion, vacation, wedding and yes even a fitness and weight loss competition are all short term motivators. Lasting anywhere from 2-12 weeks, short term motivators help to keep us moving towards a specific measurable completion date. They are short enough to not be overwhelming but long enough to allow real change and progress to occur. Short term motivators can help solidify a new behavior into a regular habit.

While immediate motivators are often about others, and short term motivators are deadline driven, long term motivators are about not disappointing ourselves. Long term motivators are what keep us going when the special event has passed and we are walking alone at lunch. Long term motivators reveal our true selves. They are more than about lowering our weight or cholesterol. They are about why these things are important to us. Long tern motivators speak to our hearts. When struggling with maintaining a new behavior long term motivators provide the strength to keep on the path.

To maximize the chance of success a good plan for behavior change should take into account all 3 motivators. Take a few minutes to really think about what lies in your heart. Maybe it is to be the active grandparent you never had, a healthy role model for your children or just feel good about yourself. Understanding your long term motivation will create a bigger purpose to your plans. Incorporating short term motivators such as signing up for a 5K event or other fitness challenge will provide an easy deadline to set goals around and finally, setting up daily commitments will provide incentive and accountability.

Deserving

The close of January marks the end of the first two weeks of an eight week fitness and weight loss challenge I am participating in. I have been making healthy food choices, exercising every day and have even lost a few pounds. I was feeling pretty proud of myself, thinking I had this whole challenge thing under control, when I heard a little voice. It caught me off guard. "Why don't you have some cheese and crackers" it said..."maybe even a Cosmo"..."you deserve it".

My first thought was yes, I do deserve it. I have been good. I have been working hard. A little reward for my hard work seemed appropriate. Necessary even. I was deserving. But before I filled the cocktail shaker with ice I paused to think a moment about what I truly deserve.

Was it really a Cosmo, or do I deserve to feel strong and healthy? Was it really cheese and crackers, or do I deserve to fit comfortably into my clothes? I have always associated food with reward. As a child dessert was the reward for finishing all the overcooked vegetables on my plate. As an adult an evening drink was the reward for a long day at work, fighting traffic or dealing with cranky kids. I needed a new reward and a healthier relationship with food.

I decided that food would continue to serve several important roles in my life but reward would not be one of them. Of course food would continue in its obvious role of nutritional sustenance. The fuel to keep me going. Food would also continue as the centerpiece of family rituals and celebrations. I love to cook, and shared meals with family and friends bring back many happy memories. I look forward to creating many more. But I do not want to ever think about "deserving" food. Food is not something to deserve. Food is something for sharing and savoring.

So what then of my reward? I realized there were many ways to honor my hard work without undermining it at the same time. I haven't decided yet but a massage of those stronger but sore muscles may be in my future.