Get Your Mind Ready To Lose Weight

Self esteem and confidence can very quickly improve with just small improvements in weight and shape. Once you know that you are moving in the right direction (even slowly) it greatly helps how you feel about yourself. Here are the critical steps to get enough motivation to start to do something:

1) Plan – a WRITTEN plan is the foundation of all motivation – get out 1 page today and plan what you are going to do!

2) Goals – on this page write out EXACTLY what you would like to achieve. Don’t use vague statements like ‘I want to lose weight’, you need to be very specific e.g. I want to get to 10 stone, be a size 12 and have a 28 inch waist!

3) 30 days goal – write out exactly how much of your overall goal you would like to achieve within the next 30 days – be realistic – see from yesterday my post on exactly how much effort it takes to lose weight.

4) Write out exactly the days and times you will train each week. This really really helps motivation. Plan your exercise like it is an important business meeting. Do not let anyone interfere with these times.

5) Benefits – besides the weight loss itself, think for a minute about 2 or 3 other huge benefits losing weight will bring you – more energy? self esteem? health benefits? better relationship? better mood? being a good role model for your family? – explore carefully – the more powerful reasons you can identify the more you will stick with it.

6) Music – think and find the music that in the past has motivated you to exercise. There must be some music that when you hear it, it energises you! Music is a very powerful motivator and can change your mood in seconds. Get this music and when you need to switch your mood, put it on.

7) Last but not least – if the above steps still haven’t motivated you to lose weight, then start small – set yourself the small target of going for a 1 mile brisk walk (even better if it is with a buggy!), 3 times a week. Once you get that feel good factor it normally leads you to do more!