Visual Motivation

I realized something this morning. I have lost my motivation in the last week. I let life get in the way… again. Thankfully, I have this blog. It makes me feel responsible, committed. Committed to what? To you, to myself, to changing the way I live my life.

That being said, I thought today would be the perfect day to talk about motivation. What are you doing in your life that you need motivation for? For me, it is weight loss. I need motivation to make the time to exercise, to eat better and not let life get in the way and become lazy.

So I started searching through Pinterest. (I am so addicted to that site! I go to it for almost everything.) I found lots of great motivation quotes, but for me, sometimes those aren’t enough. I’m a very visual person. Then I found this great blog post from Kim and Beach Ready Now. 

After reading her post, I decided to make my own visual motivation. 

I have 52 pounds to lose from when I started at 202 pounds at the end of July. Each penny represents a pound. At the end, each penny will be a dollar that I can spend!

There are lots of other great visual motivation ideas out there, and I’ll be using a few more of these myself…

• Take before and after pictures of yourself. You can even take pictures once a month to show your progress.
  
• Chart your measurements. Many times this is the first/best place for you to see your results. 
  
• Hang some smaller sized clothing where you can see it every day. Whether it’s a bikini, a favorite pair of old jeans or a goal size dress, put it on a hanger so that you see it every day and use it as a reminder of where you want to be.
  
• Post an old picture of yourself from when you were at your goal size. Post it at your desk, on your refrigerator, or anywhere you can see it on a regular basis. 
  
• Post motivational quotes around your home and office. I noticed the other week that my sister-in-law has done this around her home and love the idea. 
  
• Set goals for yourself. For today, this week, this month and this year. Write them on your calendar or set reminders on your phone/computer. 
  
• Find an app that works for you to chart your progress. I like Monitor Your Weight app, but there are lots of apps out there. Play around with them until you find the right one for you.
  
• Use a weight loss simulator to visually track your progress. 
  
• Follow motivational and weight loss boards on Pinterest. (again, I’m addicted to this site, what can I say)
  
• Change your screensavers on your phone and computer to something that motivates you. A goal weight picture, a motivational quote, or just a picture of somewhere you want to go once you reach your goal. 
  

Whatever it is that you do, it ultimately has to be something that works for you. Try something, and if it doesn’t work, try something else. Try all of them if you need to. There is nothing out there that says you have to do this by yourself, but you do have to do it for yourself. 

I’d love to hear other motivational ideas from you. Post a comment here or contact me with your ideas and I’ll share them in a follow up post!