Motivation, or the lack thereof.
In this blog I will discuss how I dealt with motivation, it’s fluctuations, and changes I made for success.
Motivation has 5 stages, which I will list, but will save the details of each for another blog. The stages are:
Pre-contemplation: not thinking there is a need for a goal
Contemplation: thinking there may be a need for a goal
Preparation: planning for the goal
Action: working towards the goal
Maintenance/Recovery: maintaining the goal or making adjustments to reattempt the goal
These stages are important because motivation shifts based on our experience, emotional state, and the reward. These key factors, will either keep us moving forward or, in turn, stop us in our tracks. Motivation has a socio-emotional link, which makes it very fluid; shifting between stages based on emotional experience and success.
In order to accomplish any goal, motivation must be high & positive. Whether it be losing weight, getting a carwash, or making a lifestyle change. Both external and internal barriers get in the way, but the key is understanding them and making adjustments that will become more positive. Some changes can be done on a personal level (i.e. home, lifestyle, mindfulness, etc.), while others are out of our control; unexpected obstacles.
Though unexpected obstacles can occur, it’s important to keep motivation high, as discussed in the Expected Detours blog, and actively plan for such barriers. At times, it’s finding ways to time manage and organize, other times, it’s understanding our own personal barriers. If we could change unexpected obstacles into expected detours, the path to success is visible.
When I began the lifestyle change, it was daunting. I’m a “whole picture” kind of person, but soon realized, that was my biggest barrier in making any lifestyle change. Looking at the whole picture was extremely overwhelming and decreased my motivation immediately. I had to break up my plan/goals into mini attainable ones, to keep motivation high. Instead of looking at all the things I needed to change, I started with my main priority, food intake.
After hours of research on my diagnosis, I created an outline around food intake, based on my personal barriers. To name a few:
If I had unhealthy foods around, I would eat them
I had no idea how to prepare many of the new foods & products
I didn’t understand nutritional facts
I had no idea what I would like
Note* The variety out there is incredible and since healthier foods are more expensive, I would suggest asking around for recommendations and trying things before you buy
My outline based on the barriers above:
Remove unhealthy foods, replace with healthy whole foods
Learn how to prepare and cook plant based
Learn how to read nutritional facts
Keep track of what you like
Learn what to stay away from, based on my diagnosis
For the first month, I strictly ate at home and avoided any unexpected obstacles. If I went out with friends, I ate before. I needed full control of my food intake to really make the first step. I began seeing positive results after after the 1st month, which kept motivation high. The biggest challenge, for me, was after the first month, when things went back to normal and I began eating out again. Temptation, temptation, temptation! The thing that made the biggest impact for me was how I wanted to perceive this change. Was I looking at it as a diet or a lifestyle change? For me, it was a lifestyle change, meaning, I wanted to maintain this for the rest of my life, therefore, in order to be successful, I couldn’t have limitations and/or negative associations with food. Instead of saying, “you can’t have this”, I chose to say, “have what you want, but in moderation”.
I believe the key to keeping motivation high, is not having limitations on yourself. Removing phrases like “don’t have this”, “you can’t eat this”, “avoid carbs”, etc. made a huge difference for me. When we set expectations on ourselves that are unrealistic, demanding, or difficult, it becomes very negative for us. When we cannot abide by the limitations set on ourselves, it could be viewed as a failed attempt. We may get down on ourselves and think negatively, which will in turn decrease our motivation.
All I told myself was, “try to mainly eat plant based, if you crave animal product here and there, indulge, but in moderation”. As simple as that is, it made the biggest difference because I never got down on myself when I wanted to indulge. Additionally, animal product does have benefits, it’s a great source of calcium, Vitamin B12, and protein, it improves bone health, but again in large quantities has the opposite effect. This mentality also assisted in the maintenance of my goal, due to the lack of restrictions. Food for thought moment, when we restrict certain foods for a specific amount of time, we are actually harming ourselves more than helping.
Take those old school diet methods. Avoid carbs, no sweets, eat our pre-prepped, low-calorie meals, follow our calendar, and workout 4 times a week. This is very demanding and doesn’t factor in any life balance. To begin, avoiding carbs is not a healthy thing to do. Carbohydrates provide our main source of energy, so if you are removing carbs and working out 4 times a week, you could really hurt yourself. Check out The Goods section on the website to learn more about carbohydrates.
Additionally, when we say “no” to something, it’s for one, negative, and it also teaches us that we are saying no for a limited amount of time (i.e. doing this diet for 6 weeks). After that time period is up, its free game! However, the problem is, now we over indulge in it. You notice how people stick to a diet and get their results for a short time, but soon after, gain the weight back, plus more? This is why.
We have a baseline with all food. Let’s say you indulge in a piece of chocolate after each meal, it’s something you have always done; this is your baseline. You begin a diet program which eliminates sweets for 6 weeks. After that 6 weeks, you begin to indulge in your sweets again, but now, since it’s been a long craving, you end up having 2 pieces of chocolate, after each meal. The baseline of sugar intake now increased. It creates a bad habit and the initial goal is rarely ever maintained.
At times, we may want to achieve a goal and have all the steps to get there, but still can’t seem to reach it. That’s okay, we are human and there are other factors at play. Remember, be kind to yourself, expect set backs, and success never comes without failure.
As mentioned around the website, we are all different and require different things. It’s important to know your body, it’s allergens, and what it needs to operate optimally. Professional help is always there (i.e. physician, nutritionist, dietician, healer), as well as booking a consultation with Ólo. Having a wellness care team is a great way to keep motivation high and maintain optimal health.