Your Daily Motivational Tips

Monday: Donate Your Efforts

If you can’t stay motivated to exercise for your own good, just do it for someone else. Find a charity group that organizes walks to raise money to support it. These not only give you a reason to keep moving, they give you the satisfaction of working hard to help others.

Tuesday: Stop, Think, Act

Before you light that cigarette or eat that second slice of chocolate cake, stop and force yourself to think about why you’re doing something you know is bad for your health.

Think what else you could do, drink or eat that might make you feel almost as good, then do that. Before you know it, thinking before you act will become second nature—and so will making healthier choices.

Wednesday: Give Yourself Credit

We have a tendency to dismiss the little things we do well, but all those little things, from choosing a whole-grain breakfast cereal to walking your dog after work, are at the heart of success. They add up to life-extending rewards—so praise yourself every time you make a heart-healthy choice.

Thursday: Find Emotional Outlets

Let’s be honest: if what we eat and how we behave were nothing more than practical matters of fuelling our bodies and taking care of ourselves, far fewer people would have weight problems or heart disease. We don’t plow through a bag of chips or drink one too many glasses of wine because we need the potatoes or grape products. We do it because we’re bored, frustrated, anxious or angry. Since those emotions aren’t going to go away, you need to find other outlets for those feelings, such as exercise, keeping a diary or pursuing a hobby, or you need to confront them directly rather than masking the problem with bad habits.

Friday: Pencil in Some Wholesome Fun

Too many of us make a bad job of long-term planning, particularly when it comes to the fun things in life. So change that. Make plans for fun events months ahead. Plan a family trip to the zoo in two months, a weekend by the lake in four months or Christmas in the Caribbean next winter.

Then make the bookings, buy the tickets and mark the dates on the calendar. This type of long-term planning gives you positive things to look forward to, as well as the motivation to get leaner and healthier for the activities ahead.

Saturday: specialize in your passion

If you’re showing real progress, the chances are you have found one or more aspects of healthy living that you really enjoy. It could be cooking with fresh food, walking or doing yoga. Explore that interest more deeply, perhaps go to classes. There’s no reason you can’t become a chef, a master of meditation—or even a marathon runner—once you set your mind to it.

Sunday: give yourself a break

Even if you love your job, you still need a break from its rigours now and then. The same is true of healthy lifestyle changes. Every now and then, spend a long weekend indulging yourself: relax and eat and drink what you want to.

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