Get Off the Couch! Three Simple Tips to Find Motivation

 I know what I need to do, but I find that I don't have the motivation to get up and do what I need to do to take care of me.  How do I make myself get up and get moving?

I was presented with this question multiple times this past week.  It's a great question!  We often do know the healthy choices we can make - step outside for a walk, cook a meal instead of ordering pizza, go to the support group meeting, look up a mindfulness practice on-line and do it - but where we get stuck is following through and actually doing it.  We're literally stuck sitting on the couch because we stopped moving and now we're too tired.  The self-induced pressure of completing our long To Do list is so heavy.  We're too overwhelmed to take action.  We just don't want to do it.  

Here are three simple things that I do when I'm lacking the motivation to get up and take action on that healthy choice.  

1) Countdown - Sometimes I start at 10.  Sometimes I start at 3.  Out loud I countdown to GO!  It may be a barely audible whisper.  I may shout it at the top of my lungs.  Setting the immediate goal that I'm going to get up at "GO" does the trick when I am lacking ambition.

GO!

2) Play a Pump-Up Song - Putting on a song that I know will inspire me, that will get my foot tapping and my hips shaking or that I can sing along to will fill me with energy.  Remember Newton's Law?  An object in motion stays in motion.  Once I'm moving it's very easy to keep moving and start that healthy activity.

3) Repeat my WHY - Why am I doing this?  Why is being healthy important to me?  The other day I pulled up to my house after work.  I had one hour before an appointment.  On one hand this was the perfect time to fit in a walk.  On the other hand it was the perfect time for a quick power nap.  Honestly, either of those would have been a healthy choice, but on that day the walk was the better choice for me. I found myself sitting in my car struggling to find the energy to even open the door.  As the debate battled in my mind, I thought of WHY I continue to push myself to move.  I keep myself moving to keep my joints moving (gotta love arthritis!).  I keep myself moving so that I can continue to take care of my family.  I started repeating "For my joints! For my family!" and after a few minutes I got out of the car, went inside, changed my clothes and headed out for a walk. 

It's so easy to get stuck.  Stuck in that moment where you know what the healthy choice is but it feels much easier to not make it. It's in those moments that I encourage you to give these simple tips a try.  They will kick your motivation in gear!  

One Fruit One Veggie Challenge

Here is a simple, low-cost Wellness Event you can host at work.

March is National Nutrition Month.  In honor of National Nutrition Month, the Workplace Wellness Team that I'm part of at work is hosting a One Fruit One Veggie Challenge.  It's simple, eat one fruit and one vegetable every day, mark it off on the Challenge Card (see example below) and turn it in at the end of the month to be entered in a prize drawing.  Everyone gets three passes for the month - no one is perfect!  The prizes that you use don't have to be expensive.  We often use Paid Time Off (PTO) as a prize.  For example, 1 or 2 hours if you complete the challenge or we will draw a name from everyone who completed the challenge for a larger amount of PTO such as 4 or 8 hours.  We've also given wellness focused items out as raffle prizes - a water bottle, yoga mat or journal.   

This challenge is completed using the honor system.  If you say you completed it, we are going to believe you.  

You could also do this Challenge on your own or with your family.  Don't forget to include some type of celebration for completing the challenge.  The celebration is an important aspect of goal setting.  It motivates you to keep moving forward on your health journey!

For some, this may seem like a simple challenge.  For others, fruits and vegetables are not a routine part of their eating.  I recently took snacks to the Community Group that my husband and I are a part of through our church.  Since I have recently had to adopt an anti-inflammatory eating style, I took oranges as well as cookies.  I have to confess that I was shocked at how many people commented that they could not remember the last time they ate a piece of fresh fruit.  The other surprising thing was that the oranges were gone long before the cookies.  That showed me that if given the opportunity, people will enjoy the fruits and vegetables.  This wellness activity presents that opportunity in the form of a healthy challenge that won't break your wellness budget!