Keeping Goals Top Of Mind

Ingrid Bergman once said, “Happiness is good health and a bad memory.” But without a good memory, good health may not even be possible. You’ve got a lifestyle with its own routine, a regular way of doing things. Part of you is comfortable with it. Any change to that status quo and those routines, no matter how small, takes mental alertness. If your new goals and new habits aren’t kept top of mind, you can sink back into those old routines without even realizing it. It’s easy to be focused in the first couple of weeks. It’s also easy to get distracted or discouraged before your new healthy habits take root. Some days in your dieting future, it’ll be tough. You’ll search desperately for a single reason to close the fridge, a good excuse to lace up those gym shoes. Just something – anything – to get you through the day with your diet and confidence intact. If you could just bottle up that “first two weeks” freshness, enthusiasm and momentum, and take a swig from that magical bottle whenever you wanted, the temptation to give in or forget wouldn’t be a problem. You can do the next best thing by regularly reminding yourself of what you need to do and why. Your goals are competing for brain space with phone numbers, sports scores, secretaries' names, favorite songs, kids' birthdays and bad jokes. And your goals don't always win out. To stay consistent long enough to become a creature of healthy habits, surround yourself with visual, written and well-placed reminders that steady the course and help you refocus. Use positive images and words. Find a visual that shows why you want to lose weight in the first place, or what you’ll be doing with your weight loss. A picture of your kids, the new dress you want to wear, a basketball. Every day is a chance to build momentum or to slack. Every day, you have to decide to make the right choices. Keeping your goals and motivators close by helps you make that decision and feel good about it. Remember, this is a positive experience! You’re doing something good for yourself, your loved ones and your future. Don’t waste any opportunity to remind yourself of that fact and congratulate yourself on progress.