Motivation is the number one reason people fail to maintain a good nutrition and exercise plan that would otherwise allow them to maintain their desired physique. The athletes we work with, including physique competitors, actors and other celebrities, always reach and maintain their goals because they are always highly motivated. Motivation may be in the form of immediate or future financial reward. In other words, they make a living that requires them to be in shape. For others who have maintained good nutrition and exercise habits, it’s often simply an evolved “addiction” to a healthy lifestyle because it makes them feel better and look better and they can’t imagine life any other way. Unfortunately most people don’t find the addiction or make a living at being in shape or trust me, most people would be fit.
When we look at statistics for successful weight maintainers, we find it was never some special program that they used, but instead it was a major life event that finally got them to stick with a program, meaning something life-changing like divorce or near death. Again, these facts validate that motivation is key to sticking with any plan. Therefore the first thing we need to do for our clients is lower the motivation threshold for success. Make it easy to follow the plan by making it their plan and not forcing them to change their life in order to succeed. Instead start with minor adjustments to their current lifestyle including eating habits. Example: don’t tell them what to eat, just tell them how much by knowing how many calories they burn. Make the exercise program fit into their current lifestyle, even if it’s only walking to start. Just make sure they burn more calories than they consume if losing fat is a goal. Show them immediate results and instant gratification by teaching them how to watch their fat/weight come off by the minute or hour using the dotFIT program with or without the armband. Motivation comes with constant visibility to results. Seeing is believing, and a constant reinforcement that what you’re doing is working. And always remember, knowing the facts about calories dramatically lowers the need for motivation because you can "do it your way."
You must be the creator of your program or you won’t be the master
The only way you will own a behavioral change is if you create it. Start the client anyway you can, sticking to this simple rule: burn more calories than you consume, on average, until you reach your goal. Just follow the number. The good news is that “one good turn deserves another,” meaning as the body changes and the client starts to look and feel better, they will also do things better. BUT the first turn has to come easily and on their terms, or they are set to fail or eventually give up. Square pegs don’t fit in round holes – they need to own their program because it fits the life they choose, not a life someone else chooses for them. Everyone wants to be lean but they must arrive their way. Your guidance and using the dotFIT program allows total flexibility thus dramatically lowering the need for motivation. NO one can stick to a program they can’t or won’t want to do forever. Show them that the world is the gym: keep moving anyway you can; and their food is their diet: they can eat ANYTHING they want, just not EVERYTHING they want. Knowing your numbers and seeing immediate feedback makes motivation far less necessary to succeed.
All that said there are some proven motivational tips listed below and remember that creating new habits is a continual process but has the best chance of leading to lasting change.
➢ Create a vision of your ideal self
➢ Set 90 day goals
➢ Set weekly SMART goals
➢ Track success rate weekly
➢ Adjust along the way
➢ Use setbacks to learn and grow
Outline of Steps:
1. Create a vision
- Write down the answers to these questions:
- What do you value most?
- How does your health and fitness relate to what’s important to you?
- Envision your ideal self. What do you look like?
- What do you feel like?
- What are you doing?
- What are you NOT doing?
- What are the benefits to realizing your vision?
- What are your strengths that will help you?
- When have you been successful in the past? How did that feel?
- What accomplishments are you proud of?
- Who can provide support?
- What resources can you use along the way?
- What would life be like if you reached your vision?
- What would life be like if you didn’t?
2. Commit to your vision
- Write it down in the present, sign your name and share it with someone
- Post cues to remind you of your vision
- Sticky note on mirror
- Schedule daily appt to review
- Find a photo or paint an image
3. Set 90-day goals
- What do you want to accomplish in the next 90 days?
- What behaviors will help you reach your vision?
- Write down 3-5 in order of importance
4. Set weekly SMART Goals - specific actions needed to reach 90 day goals and vision
- Identify 1-5 things you’d like to work on
- S – specific – what, when
- M – measureable – how much
- A – action-based
- R – relevant - to the 90 day goal
- T – time-bound
- Vague vs. SMART goals
- I will drink more water VS. I will drink 1 glass of water with lunch and dinner 5 days a week
- I will workout regularly VS. I will do an aerobic class after work, 3 days a week
- I will eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day VS. I will eat a piece of fruit at breakfast and snack 4 days a week.
5. Review what went well on a weekly basis and make adjustments.
- Recall your best experiences over the past week.
- For your weekly SMART goals, calculate your percent success rate. Example:
- Goal: Drink 1 glass of water at lunch and dinner 5 days/week
- Result: 3 days = 60% success
- Questions to answer:
- What contributed to your success?
- What could have made it higher?
- What challenges did you face?
- Is this goal too ambitious or too easy?
- What are you getting out of this goal?
- ON a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that you can maintain this behavior in the next few weeks? If you’re not at least a 7, consider revising the goal.
6. Turn setbacks into learning experiences. Trial and correction, not trial and error leads to success
- Evaluate setback
- Identify triggers that put you at risk - people, places, environments, situations
- Make a list of ways to modify or eliminate trigger and do it now or set a SMART goal.