After failing to motivate myself with a tracker on my smart phone, after years of sitting on my ass wishing I wasn't so fat, having absolutely no self-control with the food I eat, after two months of being part of a private group on facebook with a small group of girl friends, and watching Gina and then Aprille zoom ahead with success while I suffered with my lack in motivation, I found an interesting picture of a weight loss board on Pinterest. Can't find the picture now, but that doesn't really matter since I have made my own!
The picture you see here is what I have dubbed my Wall of Motivation. What these four cork boards contain are part of what I hope will be my key to success in losing weight, exercising, and eating right, (the other part being my friends Gina and Aprille). I positioned the board in an optimal location: over my computer monitors. Anyone who knows me at all, this is a prime location as I am ALWAYS on my computer.
On the top left corner contain three ribbons, as you can probably see. Each of those little clips represents a pound I want to lose this goal set, 50 total. The date I started this weight loss challenge was the beginning of the month, and I posted it so I'd always have that reminder of where I started. I took some "before" pictures and will eventually print those out and post them, but I don't want anyone to see them. Barf. My current weight and where I hope to end up are nestled in between the two ribbons that will hold my pounds lost clips.
The bottom left corner is where I post my Challenge of the month, March being the failed attempt at Fab Ab Feb. I have a list of stretches that I use either before or after my 10 minute video work outs, and after I do any cardio like walking or running. There is another list of stretches that when done in a certain order are supposed to help with calming the mind, boosting energy levels, relieving PMS, and aiding digestion. Not sure if I really believe that having 10 stretches and doing them in a certain order will really affect these four things, but I figure it doesn't hurt to try. There is also a stretch regime called Sun Salutation which is meant to be utilized in the morning after you wake up. I keep forgetting about the stretch, but hopefully I'll start remembering.
The top right corner contains my schedule of my basic, minimal workout. The workout that no matter how I'm feeling, I will at least accomplish that even if I don't do the challenge, or run my required day. Speaking of running, I found a running schedule for beginners to help train you to be able to run without walking. There are also three awesome workouts I found that target legs, over all body, and one that is called the Pi Workout. 3 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of rest, 4 minutes of strength. 3.14. Pi. /grin
The final board is really my encouragement board. My monthly goals are written out, the things I need to accomplish that month. For March, taking care of my student loans, doing my taxes, and visiting friends at least one night a week are on my list. There are some motivating quotes and the 10 Commandments of Weight Loss. And I also have a section for something fun, which is a monthly challenge that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss or exercise. For this month of March, I found a photography challenge floating about the internet and decided it would be fun to do and add to my Wall of Motivation.
I really hope this board, along with Aprille, Gina, and my healthy competition between the three of us, will help keep me motivated for longer than these past three days. Gina and I are going to go shoe shopping tomorrow so I can start my running schedule and she's volunteered to run with me at the pace I need to start at! I have amazing friends. =D
