Motivation

While the battle with weight loss can be very rewarding, it can also be quite challenging.  When you don't get the results you desire and your energy is low, it's often difficult to stay motivated.  It happens to the best of us.  So how do we stay out of that pit of despair that may be looming overhead?  Here are a few suggestions that have worked for me in the past:

• Switch things up.  If you can't bring yourself to go to the gym, try taking a hike or a bike ride instead.  If it's too cold for that, look for a local indoor swimming pool and try swimming laps.  Many communities also have a variety of workout classes available, so you could check into those.  Sometimes variety really is the spice of life.
• Recruit a friend.  It is SO much easier to workout when you have a partner to go with.  Working out with somebody else can be therapeutic, enjoyable, and a good way to stay motivated.  If you know somebody else is counting on you to workout, you'll be a lot less likely to skip it.
• Remind yourself of how you feel when you don't do it.  It is often so hard for us to focus on anything other than the moment we're in.  When we see that big bowl of ice cream, it's easy to think of how it will taste on our tongue, and forget about how we'll feel once the bowl of ice cream is in our bodies.
• Take a day off.  It might not be the end of the world to take a little break.  Hopefully if you do you'll soon realize how much you miss being active and get back out there

Whatever it takes, just do your best.  Keep trying different things until you find something that helps get you out of that rut.