One thing that has helped me with keeping moving and having a daily focus on activity is the ability to make a game out of it.
Here are some ways that I do this….
- Pedometer – Each day / week, I try to hit a best. Either beat the day before. The previous week. Can I hit my highest for the week today? It’s a small way to challenge myself. What if I park further away at work? How far from the church can I park before Gretchen comments? FYI, it turns out to be pretty far!
- There’s an App for that!- Any of you that know me, know that I’m a technology buff. I love playing with new toys, gadgets, games, etc. So it’s in my nature to turn my journey into a game with my apps….trying this app….reviewing that app….looking for one that has all the features that I want. There are many that meet the basic needs, but I’m all about ease and speed of use. I’ll write up some app reviews for those interested.
- Find a Friend – If you don’t have someone already (I have Gretchen) that will push you to do your best, you need to find one. Someone to challenge you. Someone to set a target and see if you can beat it. Often Gretchen and I compare our daily step or burn rates and I know both of us often think, “HA! Beat you today!” It helps give me a target by keeping it a little competitive.
No matter the way you find to keep challenging yourself, part of the challenge has to involve setting short, obtainable goals. Hitting a goal for the day will help keep you motivated and inspired to keep going on the journey. If all you focus on is losing 150 pounds in the next year and a half, it will be a long and boring journey, which you will likely not finish.
Make it fun. Make it a game. Challenge yourself.
Wonderful, practical and very usable advice!
I am going to use this! Thanks!!!
I’m sorry I’ve gotten behind on your blog/journey. Well, I’m back & just caught up on all entries. Sorry I missed supporting you during those bad wks. But you do have the right attitude. There will always be wks like that…but they will be few & far between. You just duck & run & weather the storm.
-Take care of yourself by not adding (guilt) to the external stress.
-Allow yourself to live in the moment & deal with what you must.
-Know that you will rebound very soon.
-Trust yourself & your instincts (which sound like they are developing nicely!) to get you back on track.
One suggestion on the undereating calories: I am a firm believer of the survival mode theory—that you must feed the body you have. I get it that you don’t want to start a bad habit of eating when not hungry. At WW, my go-to food for extra points at the end of a day was a glass of skim milk (protein + calcium), maybe w/Sugarfree Quik for a treat—suggested for an older female, but you’d have to know what would help you.