|
You’ve Reached Your Fitness Goal, Now What?
Whether you have a goal to lose 20, 30 or 50-plus pounds, what do you expect will happen once you reach that goal? Will you consider your efforts done? Should you go back to living the way you did in the past, eating anything that crosses your path? Can you plop on the couch and go back to “couch potato” mode? Absolutely not! Obviously I’m a big proponent of wellness programs because of the vitality it offers to mind, body and spirit, but I’m also in the business of offering truth.
If you can look at overall wellness — including your fitness and nutritional programs — as a way of life instead of simply a goal to reach, you’re less likely to fall back into your old habits and unhealthy routines. I believe you will actually start enjoying a lifestyle that offers vitality each and every day. Think of practicing your wellness habits just like any other positive habit you perform daily, such as brushing your teeth, taking a shower or even prayer and meditation. Practice, on a daily basis, creating the proper routine that fits your goals and lifestyle, and eventually healthy choices will shift your routine into auto-pilot mode.
When habits shift and become hardwired in the heart and mind, you may notice changes in the type of people you hang out with, the books you read, articles that strike your interest, food cravings that tilt toward what’s healthy, feelings of major self-worth, and a heightened level of accomplishment. The new message your brain is receiving is important, so whatever you do, don’t blow it off. Your initial weight loss has become a journey that encompasses so much more than what you intended to set out to do — to lose weight. The message is bigger than you could’ve imagined, one that offers a new understanding in areas where you either lack will power or where you prevail. It’s important to journal your findings at this juncture, as this positive, empowering feedback is not only something you deserve, but it offers a foundational motivation tool whenever you feel the urge to go back to your old ways. Trust me ... the urge will always be there. What matters is whether or not you acknowledge the urge, which is key to making a difference in your continued wellness success.
Another great tool for keeping weight off is to regularly recall why it was you wanted to lose weight in the first place. Very often that trigger point enables you not only to keep the weight off, but also to keep it off forever. After all, extra fat didn’t serve you then, and it certainly won’t serve you now.
WENDIE PETT is a nationally renowned fitness expert and coach, mother, speaker, author and creator of the Visibly Fit™ exercise program. Her many Visibly Fit™ instructional DVDs teach wellness maximization through the balance of mind, body, and spirit as well how to use your body as your gym. To learn more about Wendie and her program visit - www.wendiepett.com and www.wakeupwithwendiepett.com.
|
