Like countless other people, you might have certain things you want to change about your health and the elements of your lifestyle that affect it. You may have tried to make some major, positive change in your lifestyle, and faltered when things got tough. Hitting your weight-loss goals, just like many other things in life, is all about self-discipline. While some people naturally have a better capacity for discipline than others, this isn’t something you have to lie down and take. Here’s a brief guide to improving your self-discipline to help you reach your weight loss goals.
See your Doctor
Go to your physician and get a full check-up on your weight loss surgery, including blood work. While you’re there, discuss your concerns relating to your weight, and how your current weight is affecting your health. Hearing a doctor say that you’re in danger of becoming diabetic, or that you have other problems like high cholesterol or unhealthy blood pressure can be a helpful reality check. That will push your mind into the right attitude for a good weight loss regimen. Your doctor may also be able to give you recommendations for services like Bel Red Cosmetic Surgery to give you a spurring head-start, or referrals to a local nutritionist or dietitian. A check-up is never a bad thing, so start with this step.
Set Milestones
Having spoken to your doctor and got a clear picture of your current health, your next step should be setting yourself measurable goals, and giving yourself reminders of those goals. For example, let’s say you wanted to lose 20 pounds in four months, write this goal, along with a deadline and the steps you need to achieve it. Put it on a scrap of paper, then stick it somewhere where you’ll see it several times a day. You may even want to make it the background on your phone if this is the best way to guarantee that you’ll be prompted with it. The more reminders of your milestones you see throughout the day, the easier it will be to get in your running shoes and out the door!
Make it Public
This is a great way to generate a little healthy pressure for the goals you’re going for. It’s been found that sharing the goals you’re trying to accomplish, and the progress you’re making, makes you much more likely to accomplish those goals. You can read more on this at FastCompany. Tell your friends and family about your intentions, share them publicly on social media, or broadcast it in whichever way you see fit. Just make sure people know that you’re trying to hit a specific weight loss goal. Talking about this with your friends, or getting comments on social media, can be exceedingly powerful motivators to push yourself past the limits of what you thought you could do. Rather than relying on yourself for motivation, you’ll be afraid of letting your friends and family down, and therefore much more likely to apply yourself.
Make it a Competition
Similar to my last point, competing against someone can also be a great way to light a fire under yourself and push you towards your goals with a burning zeal. Make a bet with your partner or a roommate that you’ll hit your targets, and put the stakes high enough so that you won’t want to lose. For example, if you don’t exercise for at least half an hour a day, five days a week, you’ll have to do all the dishes for a month, concede on some house issue you’ve been butting heads over forever, or, the most effective motivator of all, give them money!
Commit to a Manageable Goal
Even if you’re naturally quite self-disciplined anyway, you might find it hard to take a decent bite out of your weight-loss goals, thanks to all the other responsibilities and duties you have to keep up with. The best way around this is often setting yourself a smaller, more manageable goal, getting used to this, and then building up from there. If you have one of those days where you really don’t want to go to the gym, you don’t have to. Instead, jog on the spot for five minutes in your living room, go for a quick walk around the block, or dance vigorously to your favorite song. Even if the time seems negligible, forcing yourself to keep up with a daily exercise habit is a great way to exercise and develop your self-discipline. One of these habits can also form a great foundation for more demanding daily routines.
