DAY 39: Keep On Keeping On

The 39th step is maintaining (or improving) your motivation to exercise.

It's ironic that on the day of this step I won't be going to the gym, but I'm still maintaining my motivation. Although today's schedule makes it impossible to attend my exercise class, I plan to walk for about four hours today, and I'm hoping to wrap up dinner with friends in time to go to the gym for a weight training session.

But I do struggle to keep up with my exercise because I'd almost always rather curl up with a good book or watch something on television or hang out with friends. To prevent bad habits from overcoming my good intentions, Dr. Beck offers these suggestions:

• Focus on how you'll feel after you finish exercising.
  I'm not sure this would help me; I usually just feel sweaty and tired after exercising. But sometimes I also feel euphoric (those endorphins kicking in) and proud that I've made the effort. Still, thinking about those positive feelings isn't always enough to overcome my tendency for sloth.
  
  
• Put exercise in the NO CHOICE category.
  Since I've started the Beck Diet Solution, this is essentially what I've done. Oh, well has become my mantra.
  
  
• Meet a friend or trainer.
  Dr. Beck points out that being accountable to someone else will make it easier to stick with exercising, and that has always been true for me. Most of my friends aren't physically fit enough to keep up with the new me, but going to my classes at the gym has served the same purpose.
  
  
• Give yourself lots of credit.
  Thanks (again) to the program, I've been congratulating myself with a literal pat on the back and a deposit to my credit account every time I exercise. It really does help my motivation to know someone (even me) is proud of what I'm doing!
  
  
• Focus on your progress.
  I've been going to classes at the gym for 6 months now, and I can definitely tell I'm more physically fit now. The shape of my body is changing but also my abilities have improved. Not only can I lift bags of cat food more easily, but I walk at a faster pace, I breathe easier when I'm exercising, and I can survive 30 minutes of intense step aerobics without feeling as if I might die.
  
  
• End your session with something positive.
  I can see the wisdom of ending on a positive note, but if there's something I don't like about an exercise routine, I'm more likely to replace the entire session with something I like completely. And since mostly I take classes, I'm following an already-set schedule anyway.
  
  
• Make sure you're doing a type of exercise you like.
  This suggestion makes more sense than the previous one. And this suggestion is natural for me to follow; if I don't like something, I don't do it. One of the reasons I've had so much success this time around is that I really enjoy my water exercise classes: sweating isn't an issue, the support of the water reduces the strain on my body, and I feel athletic instead of clumsy.

Some of these suggestions will be helpful in bolstering my occasionally iffy motivation, and so will this Response Card:

Sabotaging Thought: It's okay to skip exercising today because I don't want to, I'm tired, and I'm too stressed out.
Helpful Response: It's not okay. Exercise is an essential part of losing weight and maintaining my weight loss.

I just have to keep reminding myself to keep putting one foot in front of another and I'll be at my goal weight before I know it!