Have you ever been asked ‘why’ you’re reaching for a particular goal? The question isn’t always intended to be nosey, and our intentions are focused on your success.
At bistroMD, we encourage members to dig deep and discover their ‘why’ for beginning—or starting back up—their health journeys. While motivation can be fleeting and unreliable, returning to our ‘why’ or purpose allows us to stay on course even when motivation runs dry.
With expert guidance from Dr. Cederquist and Nicole, learn how to discover and lean into your ‘why’—realizing your purpose is true power!
Dr. Cederquist: Do you feel motivated one day and not so much the next? Despite the popular belief, motivation on its own is not the best way to stick with your goals. And we're going to let you in on a little secret that actually does work.
Nicole: Yes. Hi, everyone! We hope you're having an awesome week. Today, we are revealing why you should find your own why and just how to do so. Truly motivation comes and goes. It's a feeling.
Nicole: So if motivation is the only thing we're relying on to stay on track, we often fail and struggle since motivation doesn't always stick around. Of course, it's helpful in certain moments, but for sustaining a healthy lifestyle, motivation can't be the only thing that we rely on.
Dr. Cederquist: Absolutely! There's a common theme we all tend to experience. There's that initial excitement and motivation when we first are setting and working towards a goal; then suddenly, we wake up one morning and it's gone. We start struggling to motivate ourselves to get back to the gym or stay on track with our eating.
Dr. Cederquist: I would have patients come into my office and say, “I'm struggling to stay motivated. How do I get it back?” Well, we have to find what will push us even when the motivation runs out because motivation, again, it's a feeling—it can come and go. Even if we have drive, visions, or habits, which help a lot; we'll talk more about that next. We also have to find our deep why or our anger for continuing to keep going.
Dr. Cederquist: Think to yourself, “Why do I want this?” We have to dig into those deeper reasons about why we are wanting to start or continue this health and wellness journey. This may mean being around for your grandkids, being able to run around with your children, or being a role model for your children or grandchildren, being the best doctor or dietitian you can be, or whatever your profession is, or being the best parent for your children, or the best partner for your spouse, or whatever is really fundamentally important to you.
Nicole: Yeah, so how can you regain or keep your enthusiasm going during your journey? We found these tips to be helpful and even life-saving for our patients. So first off, reward ourselves, celebrate successes, and focus on your wins. Not just scale wins, but focus on the non-scale victories as well. This feeds our self-confidence and is a great positive reinforcement.
Nicole: So examples of some non-scale victories might be increased energy, and you reward yourself by joining a dance class that you haven't had a chance to take because you've been so fatigued; or maybe that you're experiencing improved sleep due to better blood sugar control, when you celebrate with a spa day; or you're in less pain due to less stress on your joints, so you're able to reward yourself with a hike taking all the beauties of nature; or maybe it's that your labs have improved and your blood sugar is improving; or your blood pressure is better, so you treat yourself to a little mani and pedi; or you're losing inches and your clothes are fitting differently, so you buy yourself a new outfit or a new piece of jewelry.
Dr. Cederquist: Yes, these rewards are really worthwhile, and you deserve them. It helps keep us in the game. It keeps us having that motivation high. We sometimes need to feed it with some of these non-scale victories. I love that!
Dr. Cederquist: The second tip to really help is having self-efficacy, which means believing in ourselves and picturing our successes, to truly believe that it is possible. This can be hard if losing weight or self-care has been a long struggle. I would say break it down into things that you have been successful with.
Dr. Cederquist: For some of my patients, they always did for others. Their children, their spouse, their work, but they were not putting the effort into their own self-care because it seemed selfish for them. The things we do to take care of ourselves, they're for us; they're not others.
Dr. Cederquist: Some people feel that that's selfish, but it helped to have them think about the skill sets that they used to accomplish all these other things that they were successful with and utilize them. Skills like organization, attention to detail, creativity, big picture thinking. The useful skills are many and unique to all of us. There are a lot of great skills you are already using successfully for other things, so tap into them.
Dr. Cederquist: It's also why advice for someone may not always work for you. They have a different personality. They're wired up differently and have different skill sets. It's always more effective when you tap into what you are good at and also to really get that self-care is not selfish.
Dr. Cederquist: You will not be able to do anything for anyone else if you are not here. When you realize all the people who rely on you, you realize time and effort spent on yourself is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Nicole: Yes, I love that! And the third tip, share goals and make sure those goals are realistic. Get realistic expectations, make small changes in accountability, whether it be a coach or friend or just journaling to yourself. It is very motivating to set up to do something and actually do it. Sometimes we set our sights too high and too complex. Break down the action steps you need to take and do them one by one.
Dr. Cederquist: For sure! Number four is to surround yourself with positive people, including those who inspire and uplift you or are your mentors. And this can be challenging as families, friends, coworkers can all have their own issues. They're not always available to us. Sometimes joining an exercise class or another hobby group can be so valuable as you are surrounded by people who are showing up and doing something positive.
Nicole: Yes. Number five, gravitate to an addition mindset. What are you adding to your life? What new foods are you adding? What are you gaining in your life by doing this? Think about all the possibilities, whether it's to travel, to hike, to play with grandkids. You name it. There's a lot of possibilities to think about.
Nicole: Number six, avoid ruts and review your why. Change up your routine a bit if you need to. So try a new exercise or workout class or try a new meal or recipe at home or connect and talk with new people. We often time have the same thoughts over and over and it's not until we talk to someone else that a new thought reappears.
Dr. Cederquist: I love that, it's so great! Number seven, reframe your setbacks. Setbacks truly don't have to be negative. Breakdowns provide an opportunity for a breakthrough. It's all part of the process. You've learned what doesn't work for you. Now you can create what does.
Nicole: Yes. And number eight, think of your future self. For someone coming in skeptical, we hear you. We understand that there have been past struggles, but you are here and that's what truly matters. Let's focus on the now. You have a choice to create a different future for yourself. When I don't feel like exercising, which is a lot because I don't always enjoy it. I have to remind myself of the person I want to be in 10, 20, or 30 years from now.
Dr. Cederquist: We genuinely believe anyone's well-being can be transformed and we believe in you. Make it a fantastic week and remember these tips if you find your motivation is waning. You've got this!
Nicole: Yes, have a great week!