fitness

7 Ways to Stay Motivated When You Just Want to Eat Chocolate and Be Lazy

I recently finished my second Whole30 and am in the reintroduction of foods phase. Basically, you continue eating Whole30-style and reintroduce one food group at a time for a few days to see how you feel. This ends up meaning a lot more than 30 days of this restricted eating. And today, I feel like I’m living on the edge. You feel me?

The upside of Whole30 is that it helps me learn more about how my body reacts to certain foods, but geez, is it hard. Like, I would pay $20 for a Reese pumpkin hard. So this post is definitely what I needed to think about today. One of my favorite motivational speakers, Zig Ziglar, said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” I needed to bathe in these tips a few times today, and maybe you do too.

Review your vision board.
Well, make one first. Whether it’s an old-school poster board or a Pinterest board, make sure you have a vision board that is full of motivational quotes and verses, pictures, and most importantly, a reminder of why you are getting healthy in the first place. Remembering your “why” will keep you going on the hardest of days.
Set a micro goal.
If your goal is to lose 25 lbs, don’t wait until you hit the big 2-5 to celebrate. That’s a big goal that may take you a while to achieve, so set a micro goal of 5 lbs at a time and celebrate every time you lose another 5. It’s easy to forget to pat yourself on the back along the way.
Reach out for help.
Whether it’s someone getting healthy alongside you or a person who is simply cheering you on, reach out to someone who can encourage you when you need it. We all need encouragement sometimes, but if you’re like me, you hate to “bother” people. But when roles are reversed, I’m honored to speak life into my friends on their journey.
Push “play” on that playlist or podcast.
If you are motivated by music, create a playlist with songs that pick you up and re-energize you. If you like motivational messages, save a podcast to listen to when you are struggling.
Try something new.
Maybe you just need a change of pace to breathe new life into your goal. Try making a new recipe or do a new type of workout to add some fun into the process.
Change strategies.
Rather than quit trying completely, maybe you just need a new approach. If you’ve been a faithful calorie counter but are getting bored, try Paleo for a week. If you are a gym rat but find you’re dreading your workout time, take it outside with a hike or jog.
Remember how far you’ve come.
Try this visual trick: pick up a dumbbell that weighs the same amount as what you have already lost. Those pounds feel very impressive when you hold them in your hand.

Anyone else with me in struggling to keep going sometimes? Our buddy Paul encourages us to “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) How do you keep going when the harvest seems far away?

What Does My Health Have to do with God?

That’s why it was a game-changer for me to read The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren and understand how God views my health. Shocker: It has nothing to do with me feeling or looking better, which are usually my top reasons for wanting to get healthy.

Check out these 3 truths Warren pulled from 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 that address how God views our health and bodies.

My body belongs to God not me.
“You say, ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.’ The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” (v. 13) As Warren says in the book, “Our culture teaches us, ‘My body is mine to do whatever I want to with it.’ But God says, ‘No, you’re wrong. It’s not your body, because you didn’t create it. I made it, and I loaned it to you to live in while I put you on earth, and I expect you to take care of My creation.'”
Jesus paid a high price for my body.
“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (v. 20) “Jesus thought you were worth dying for, so don’t you think God wants you to take better care of yourself? If you bought a million-dollar racehorse, would you feed it junk food and keep it up all night? Of course not! You would protect your investment. The fact is, Jesus has made an investment in you. He paid for your life with His life, and He expects you to take care of His investment.”
God’s Spirit lives in my body.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (v.19) The Daniel Plan says, “When God puts His Spirit inside you, your body becomes a temple of God, a residence for His love. So let me ask you this: If you saw someone vandalizing or damaging a temple dedicated to God, wouldn’t you consider that a crime? Of course! But you abuse and vandalize God’s temple, your body, when you deprive it of rest and sleep, overeat, put too much stress on it, and fail to take care of it.”
Stepping all over my toes! When getting healthy is all about me, I just don’t have enough steam to keep going for life. But when treating my body well is a way to worship God, it takes health to a whole new level. When I see God one day and He asks how I treated the miraculous human body He created for me, I don’t want to be looking at the ground mumbling that I stuffed it with sugar.

Was this as much of an eye-opener for you as it was for me? Share your thoughts.