The Best Ways to Stay Motivated for Good

By , Presented by Humana
You can read hundreds of nutrition articles and talk about getting healthier until you're blue in the face, but all the knowledge in the world won't do you any good unless you've got the motivation to go with it. And even though getting motivated might sound like the easy part, it's actually the trickiest! In our world of instant gratification and convenience, it can be all too easy to plop down on the couch instead of hitting the gym, or to grab takeout in favor of cooking a healthy dinner. To help us answer the million-dollar question of how to get and stay motivated, we asked two Humana Health Coaches to give us their top ten tips for setting—and reaching—any goal you set your mind to. 
  1. Set SMART Goals. The more specific and detailed you can be about what you'd like to achieve, the easier the process will be—and the more likely you will be to reach your goals in the long run.
     
  2. Use smaller goals to help you reach a larger goal. Both your body and mind will take some time to adjust to your new, healthier way of living. Focusing on a realistic target as a first step and building up from that foundation gradually is often much more helpful than looking at the big picture as a whole. Achieving a series of small goals can lead to tremendous progress over time. And don't forget to celebrate those small successes, too!
     
  3. Keep your motivation in mind. The first (and often most important) step is to know WHY you want to reach the goal you have in mind. Having that personal investment in your goal--whether it’s to get healthy to enjoy a certain activity or to extend an independent lifestyle--will be the most helpful piece in making healthy habits stick for the long term. Use trial and error to find motivational techniques that work for you. Sometimes, it's as simple as reminding yourself why you’re making healthy changes and what those changes mean to you, your life and your loved ones.
     
  4. Explore! Try out lots of strategies and options. Keep the things that work for you and ditch the things that don’t. Do you hate a certain kind of exercise? Good news: You don't have to do it! Find something else that clicks with you, instead. The more you love your routine, the more likely you are to stick with it for the long haul.
     
  5. Expect setbacks. Challenges will come up along your journey to a healthy lifestyle, and you’ll need to do a bit of problem solving. Barriers are common, but so are solutions. Based on your past barriers (illness, work projects, family emergencies, etc.), create back-up plans for those unexpected events that might crop up.
     
  6. Increase accountability. Find ways to hold yourself accountable and seek out others who will hold you accountable. In the long-term, this will help you stay on track and sustain the progress you’ve made.
     
  7. Be positive. Research shows that keeping a positive mindset actually makes you healthier in the long run. Reflect on your progress and how you’re improving. This is more productive and self-motivating than focusing on what’s not working well. Overcoming our own saboteurs can be the most difficult thing to do. It’s easy and natural to focus on the negative first, but work on recognizing those moments when you start to get down on yourself. Instead of dwelling on the bad, stop going down that negative path and think about all the great things you are doing right!
     
  8. Play to your strengths. The same plan does not work for everyone or every schedule. The best plan is the one that fits your life, your values and your interests. So, if a good friend followed a specific method to reach a goal you also have, that’s great (and sure, test it out!). However, if it doesn’t work for you, that’s fine, too--you may just need a little adjustment here or there to make it yours. Spend some time really thinking about your individual abilities. Where do you excel? What skills do you have? Apply these qualities to your goals to help you be successful.
     
  9. Visualize your goals and the steps that you see yourself taking. Studies show that visualization can be a powerful (and free!) tool to help people reach all kinds of goals. Spend a few minutes each day imagining yourself reaching your biggest goals. You might be surprised how much this exercise affects your thoughts and actions.
     
  10. Focus on all progress, just not one small data point. For example, if you are working on weight management, you might be making changes to multiple areas (sleep, nutrition, exercise, etc.). Your body is keeping track, too. When the scale isn't budging despite a lot of hard work, it can be difficult to keep going on the same path. This is why it's so important to keep track of multiple markers of success. Inches lost, energy gained, improved rest and improved performance in fitness are all equally important signs of progress.

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