The Mental Side of Motivation
Sometimes
your thoughts are the secret saboteurs of your diet and exercise program. Here
are 4 strategies to sway your senses to stick with the program.
-By Eric Harr,
Exclusively for Sharkies, Inc.
It’s one of the fundamental tenets of human
physiology: How well you eat and exercise directly impacts how good you look
and feel. Most of us accept that aphorism, yet at times we find ourselves
struggling to make the best diet and workout choices. Sugar cravings, lack of
time and exercise ennui are well-known barriers to better fitness, but our
biggest nemesis may be our own mind. “When we make a poor diet or exercise
choice, it’s much more mental than physical,” says Jim Taylor, Ph.D a sport
psychologist with a consulting practice in San Francisco, California. “In other
words, it’s not that we’re too tired to workout, it’s that we convince
ourselves that we are,” he says. Case in point: the pre-workout internal debate
in which you teeter between working out and packing it in. You may feel
tired when you begin, but once you get going, you get energized; it’s a matter
of overcoming that initial mental hurdle. The same goes for eating well: we
know the triple chocolate decadence may not be the wisest choice, but we order
up anyway. You should take time away from exercise and indulge in tantalizing
foods once in a while, but you also need to learn to master your mind when you
know you must. If you find yourself rummaging for the remote control instead of
your running shoes or reaching for the baklava instead of the banana, the trick
is to interrupt those negative mental patterns by taking positive actions that
get you back on track. Here, our experts show you how.
TIP: Create positive audio and visual “cues” for
yourself. “Different auditory cues can be very powerful. What we see and hear can powerfully
influence our moods—and the decisions we make,” says Dr Taylor. “For example,
watching a televised marathon or a show on fitness, motivates you to make the
right decisions.”.
EXERCISE: On a series of index cards, write down
your “best of” excuses for skipping workouts on the front ("I'm
exhausted," “It’s boring”); and on the back, counter them with fresh,
compelling reasons to do the workout, ("I always feel more energetic
afterwards," “Be adventurous; try something new today!”). You can also
create an inspiring workout tape when you need that pre-exercise pick-me-up.
TIP: Think ahead. To make wiser diet and exercise
choices, pre-visualize the consequences of your actions. For example, if you
knew that eating a plate of Moo Shoo Pork would add one pound of pure fat to
your frame, would you do it? Not likely. The cost (enlarged lovehandles)
wouldn’t offset the benefit (taste of the Moo Shoo).
EXERCISE: The next time you face a tough diet or workout
choice, take a moment to tune into how you will feel moments after making your
decision. For example, opting for the Vegetarian Vindaloo instead of the Moo
Shoo Pork will leave you looking leaner and feeling more confident when you
walk out of the restaurant. “The clearer you can visualize the consequences of
your actions, the better chance you’ll have making the right decisions,” says
Dr. Taylor.
TIP: Circumvent the mental debate altogether. “Our
ability to rationalize and reason can be our downfall,” says Diane Roberts
Stoler, Ed.D, a licensed psychologist, board
certified in both Health Psychology and Sports Psychology and a member of the
American Psychological Association. “We can list a dozen reasons why we
shouldn't work out or why we ‘deserve’ the candy bar. Much of the time, we give
in to those reasons,” she says. By learning to recognize counterproductive
mental debates, you can better control your thoughts and positively sway
yourself.
EXERCISE: When you find yourself vacillating
between a good and bad food choice or exercise decision, clear your head and
take immediate positive action. Don’t reason. Just begin getting dressed for
your workout or start boiling water to steam vegetables—before your mind
can finagle you to the less healthful alternatives. “Most of the time, it’s
just a matter of getting started down the right path,” says Dr. Stoler.
TIP: It’s ok to be bad—just be good first.
When we set unrealistic diet and exercise standards, it’s only a matter of time
before we rebel, by polishing off a pint of ice cream or skipping several
workouts in a row.
EXERCISE: Take time away from exercise or indulge
in delicious foods but only after you’ve exercised consistently or eaten
healthily. For example, take two days off after five great workout days. Fill
your plate with healthy choices such as fresh vegetables and lean proteins
first with the promise that you can have the naughty foods on the second
go-around. Eating healthy first may make you feel so good that you decide
against the bad stuff. And if you do indulge, the good stuff will fill you
up…leaving less room for the bad.
To learn more about the mental aspects of diet and
exercise, visit Dr. Jim Taylor’s Web site: www.alpinetaylor.com. Dr. Diane
Stoler’s Web site provides information on motivation: www.drdiane.com.