Even though a major part of my job is to encourage others to live healthier lifestyles, eat better, and exercise often, it's not like I have a secret fountain of renewable enthusiasm hidden in my back yard. As a health and fitness professional, I have to motivate myself to stay fit just like anyone else. And contrary to what every infomercial and diet book out there try to convince you, balanced living takes effort! I'm sorry, but there's no "easy" and "quick" fixes, no magic pills or potions!
Yet healthy living doesn't have to be pain and torture either. In fact, stick with it for a couple of weeks, and it becomes a craving, a need, a fun game to play or a science experiment to run... if you choose to see it this way. Stick with it for a little longer, and it becomes a lifestyle you wouldn't change for any other. YES, you're guaranteed to slip, skip, trip, and 'mess up'.... but it doesn't matter all that much. As long as you just keep going, relentlessly!
But what if you lack 'willpower', you ask? Well, it's not all about willpower. As Matt Fitzgerald puts it in Diet Cults, motivation is what activates our inherent willpower. Of course, having no willpower and lots of motivation would be useless. But having tons of willpower without motivation wouldn't get you far either. Luckily, studies have repeatedly shown that most of us have just enough willpower to succeed at healthy living (or anything else we put our minds to). It's the motivation that we often lack. And the problem with motivation is that it's difficult to control and exploit.
So, is there hope? Of course there is! In fact, there's a plethora of different strategies and tricks to get motivated and stay there. But you have to be willing to experiment a little in order to find what works best for you. For the majority of people, it's a recent health scare, an all time rise in weight, or a shocking beach picture that pushes them to make a lifestyle change... But if you're lucky enough to NOT experience any of the above, you need to dig a little deeper to find the right trigger and make the time ripe.
If you're someone who learns by example, or just curios about how a yogi-personal trainer-docror of nutrition keeps healthy and in shape, feel free to spy on me by following this blog. I'll try to be as self-analytical and thorough as possible. Feel free to leave comments or ask me any questions. And please note that I AM NOT CLAIMING TO BE PERFECT, so please cut me some slack!
LET'S DANCE - PUT ON YOUR RED SHOES AND DANCE THE BLUES!
MY START DATE: April 25, 2016
MY LONG-TERM MOTIVATOR: Looking, feeling, and mentally performing at my peak for my yoga & wellness retreat in Greece this September
MY SHORT-TERM TRIGGER: Feeling sluggish, bloated, and out of energy, which (I feel) affects my fitness performance, specifically, my yoga practice. Weighed myself also and had gained a few pounds (though, nothing to worry me much). I know I've been enjoying way too much wine recently. :P
ASSESS AND ADJUST MY GOALS: Once per week
More about my starting biometrics/measurements, SMART goals, diet, and exercise routines?
Stay tuned!
Xoxo,
Dr. Rosa :)