  As recently last night I was asked "What did you do? How did you lose all of that weight?" I actually enjoy answering that question, especially if being asked by someone who could potentially benefit from the answer. I can talk about finding my motivation by hitting rock bottom, frustration with taking medications and their side effects, and the fear of using an oxygen machine to address sleep apnea. I can talk about techniques I used like working with a personal trainer, and learning to eat right and exercise regularly. I can talk about blogging, setting goals, and a myriad of things I did to keep myself motivated along the way. But in the end I am not you. You perhaps are reading this because you are frustrated by the fact that you need to lose weight and/or achieve better health but nothing you have tried in the past has worked and the problem isn't going away. Perhaps you have had some success in the past, but can't re-create it. I know how it feels, I've been there. You feel lousy physically, psychologically and socially. Or maybe it's not that things are so terrible, but you know that there is so much more out there that you could accomplish if you were just more healthy. Regardless of your situation, one thing is clear - you're not living up to your potential, and you are missing out on some of the joy that living a healthy life can bring.  How can I find motivation to change? The fact that you are asking this question is a step in the right direction. It would be nice if there were a one size fits all solution for finding motivation. For every person, finding motivation will ultimately take a different path. One person could find their motivation in resolving health issues, another in trying to improve their appearance. One isn't better than the other, at the end of the day it only matters that you find what motivates you. Know your motivation I dug around for real examples of what motivated other people to choose to become healthier and lose a significant amount of weight. It might not be that just one thing motivates you, as you read through the list give each item a ranking (3 = this motivates me a lot, 2 = this motivates me a little, 1 = this doesn't motivate me). I'll explain what to do with the rankings after you go through the list.
Some of these are similar, and some of your motivations might be missing, but this list includes many of the motivations I discovered. This isn't a scientifically-based assessment, but hopefully it will give you some insight into your motivations, which more than likely will span multiple areas.  Is it about looks? Add your scores for 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20, 21, 25, 26, 30, 32, 35 (less than 24: You aren't motivated by this area, 24-31: You are somewhat motivated by this area, 32-42: You are very motivated by this area) If this turns out to be a strong motivation then you're vain, right? Well, not necessarily. Wanting to look good to yourself is important to your self-confidence. Basically, you want to be the best looking version of yourself possible.  Is it about others? Add your scores for 5, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 30, 31 (less than 24: You aren't motivated by this area, 24-31: You are somewhat motivated by this area, 32-42: You are very motivated by this area) This one can be closely related to the "looks" category, but more about having an active social life. You want to participate in social activities with friends and family without embarrassment. You care about the impression you make on other people and you want them to think the best of you. First impressions are important, especially when it comes to relationships, job interviews and other important life activities.  Is it about being comfortable in your own skin? Add your scores for 3, 8, 10, 12, 19, 20, 22, 26, 28, 29, 33, 34, 35, 36 (less than 24: You aren't motivated by this area, 24-31: You are somewhat motivated by this area, 32-42: You are very motivated by this area) This one is about how your health and appearance impacts your feeling of self-worth. You feel that being healthy will give you more confidence and the ability to do more with your life. To you, a healthy life is a happier life.  Is it about your health?
Add your scores for 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 27, 32, 36 (less than 24: You aren't motivated by this area, 24-31: You are somewhat motivated by this area, 32-42: You are very motivated by this area) You're concerned about how being unhealthy will impact your life. You've already noticed health-related problems and you want to get fit in order to feel better physically. Turn your motivation into action Just knowing about what motivates you doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be motivated to action, but it helps. How do you turn motivation into action? What was my motivation, and how did I turn it into action? My primary areas of motivation were being comfortable in my own skin and health. I blogged about the tipping point for myself in this post. There was no way that I was going to rent an oxygen machine to supply my fat body with air at night just because I had gained so much weight that the fat in my throat was stopping my breath (sleep apnea). It was totally curable through weight loss, so I committed to doing something, anything about it then. For posts I've made about my journey, you can click here. Your answer for turning your motivation into action is something that only you can answer. According to psychology.about.com, there are three key areas to turning motivation into action to achieve a goal: activation, persistence, and intensity. Activation involves the decision to initiate a behavior, such as losing weight. Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist, such as going through the steps it takes to eat better and exercise even though it requires a significant investment of time, energy, and resources. Finally, intensity can be seen in the concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing a goal. For example, you might start taking yoga classes, learn about health topics, start a blog, or track down healthy family-friendly recipes to try. For me, persistence was achieved through my own commitment, hard work and guidance from a personal trainer. Intensity came about through many, many different methods that I've blogged about along the way, you can look through my older posts. You can make it easy or hard. You can continue to stew and fret and worry and be depressed, or you can do something about it. You can accept that you're content with an unhealthy lifestyle or you can realize that the effort to achieve a healthier lifestyle is far more rewarding. Don't wait until tomorrow, tomorrow never comes. Make the decision now. You'll be scared and excited at the same time. It's thrilling to move outside your comfort zone and do something for you. You'll stop making excuses and start making changes to better your life. Light your own fire. Take command of your life. Reach your potential, be more confident and achieve greater happiness!
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