Fitness Goals Support Group

I think we all can relate in some way to that article. I have found that a lot of the problem is the combination of factors that affect people trying to lose weight.

For instance...i'm getting ready to have my mom as a roommate...her eating habits suck, she's sedentary, she drinks too much and she's a chain smoker...*insert eye roll and exhasperated gasp*

What i'm shooting for is to be a good influence on her, not the other way around. I find that when we are lacking motivation, and are surrounded by people who are either very negative to us or not motivated themselves, it's hard to stay on track. I will shop for my own groceries. This way, I have control of what is brought into the house and what me and my daughter have access to.

Self image...i've never had a realistic self image...i've always wished I could see myself through someone else's eyes...having said that, I try not to lose focus of the big picture...my health. If I never weigh 150 again...I can live with that...i'm healthier, I feel better and I know that when I make good food decisions and work out, i'm doing something good for myself...no matter how I look.

Motivation...I find that this is something that one has to work out for themselves. We all have different things in our lives that either motivate us or not. My motivations are completely different than my husband, even though we workout together, our diets are similar and we live together. That's a dig deep and grab it kind of person specific thing.

So, you can see, that if we struggle with just one of these factors...that's a challenge...throw any number of combinations of any of them...well, it stands to reason that the big picture becomes very overwhelming and that's how we get off track.

I don't know, I think you really have to be ready to make the commitment to yourself. I think that's another challenge for people. If we disappoint ourselves...oh well. I'll start fresh tomorrow. I think for so many of us, we've dealt with self loathing for so long, we become desensitized to it, you know? I think we'd all benefit from finding someone to buddy up with, for support, encouragement...until you've done it long enough for it to stick...really become a part of your lifestyle.

Okay, sorry for the novel...that article was interesting:)

Hey wrknprogress35! you've described some really practical examples of how these areas can really affect your life.

Habits
You've successfully recognized the reality of a situation - like your mums lifestyle habits - this is a great first step to being able to prevent a possibly negative situation that could impact on your health. Having the chance to prevent something before it happens can make all the difference. As with most things, they happen automatically without us even really knowing and then after a while you get stuck in a rut which is really hard to get out of.
Here's a good article on Habits:
18 Tricks to Make New Habits Stick
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/p...

Self image
You've touched a really good point, by focusing on the inputs the outputs take care of themselves. i.e by you just concentrating on eating well and exercising you are naturally going to look better, we all fall into the trap of obsessing about the end result, that more often then not is unrealistic, by concentrating on what we can control - exercise and diet - we set a more realistic expectation.
Here's a good article on Focusing only on what you can control
Focus on the things YOU can control.
http://pulverblog.pulver.com/archi...

Motivation
Like the old saying "horses for courses" we are all different and require a different set of motivations to reach a successful end result or fitness goal. For you to get to the root of the right motivation for you it's going to require a bit of work getting to know yourself and what really drives you. The good news is that there is probably no more important thing in life thin finding out this information. You might find through doing this work that you have the wrong motivations, therefore these changes will redirect your life to what really satisfies you.
Here's a good article on motivation
Get Off Your Butt: 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re in a Slump.
http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/get-o...

The big picture
By being aware of all these factors you can't help but improve your situation, it's all the little things that add up to making a change, a new direction and getting back on track. The end game is a constant healthy lifestyle - not another fitness fad that soon dies off... this requires massive amounts of energy and drive, and to have these powers you need to find your purpose in life, only that will give you the really sense of purpose that makes anything possible.
Here's a good article on finding your purpose
How to discover your life purpose in about 20 minutes.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2...