Lively Women

Alyice Edrich: Tips on Staying Motivated

by Heather on September 13th, 2006

I enjoy reading Alyice Edrich’s blog at DM Writes, which often features her journey of healthy living. Although we live across the continent from each other, we’re connected by a common desire to bring exercise into our busy daily routines.

Alyice recently posted about how she motivates herself to stay fit this year. She said it’s hard because she’s at a point in life where she’s content and can say, I Like Who I Am.

She writes:

Maybe part of liking who I am comes from my relationship with God, the few close friends I have, a loving husband, and two great kids. But it definitely doesn’t come from what I weigh.

Here’s what she says are ways she motivates herself to exercise:

1. I’m telling myself that I’m doing it to feel even better about myself and I’m doing it so that I can look good in clothes that essentially effect how I feel about myself when I go out in public.
2. I’m telling myself that I’m doing it to lower my cholesterol and to be able to keep up with the kids when we finally do take that family vacation to Disneyworld.
3. And I’m telling myself that I’m doing it because I deserve it. I deserve to feel the best I can on the outside as well as on the inside.

I also love this list of tips Alyice uses to keep on going. She writes:

1. I will cut out gorgeous outfits from catalogs like, Midnight Velvet, and place them near my desk. Outfits I’d like to buy when I get down to a size 10 (from a size 16).
2. I plan to visit success stories to keep me motivated—like the ones found in Good Housekeeping, Prevention, Fitness, and The Weigh We Were.
3. I plan to visit weight loss blogs of true champions, like Barbara of Mommy Life and Melodee of Shrinking Mom.
4. I plan to confront my demons in my personal journal and when I get stuck, I’ll call on my trusted friend, Jesus—which isn’t always easy because I always feel like He has more important tasks to handle.
5. I plan to use my weight loss partner to keep me accountable—even though she lives thousands of miles away, she’s already inspired me to not give up and to keep trying…she’s lost over 40 pounds in only a few short months and has drastically changed her eating style.
6. I plan to stop trying to get my husband and kids to work out with me because their reluctance has only fueled my excuses to not stick with the program.

What an inspiration! Reading people’s personal struggles and triumphs motivates me to work a little harder. We’re all trying to move ahead and accomplish our dreams of being more energetic and healthier!

Alyice Edrich is the editor of The Dabbling Mum, an award-winning publication for busy parents interested in changing their lives through better parenting, writing, and home businesses. Visit her at http://thedabblingmum.com.

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POSTED IN: Diet/Nutrition, Weight Loss