Lifestyle Balance -What motivates you to keep with the program?

After much thought and on-line research I still haven’t come up with any magical answers on motivation. I did realize that motivation is a very individual thing. What motivates one person will not motivate the next. To quote Paul Simon, “one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor”.

We had a friend who lost his lucrative job when the company closed its doors. He took many odd jobs to keep money coming in. He ended up selling aluminum siding in Denver, CO. His territory was vast. He got a call to drive to Casper, WY to do a sales presentation only to find the homeowners not home. That’s quite a long round trip for one call. This happened to him frequently. The company used incentives, in addition to commissions, to motivate the sales crew. Would I drive to Casper, WY for one sales call, nope. Would a trip to Las Vegas motivate me to make that trip for one sales call, nope. It did keep him schlepping up to Wyoming and he never did win a trip, but he might have and that kept him going on those calls.

People don’t go to the dentist for various reasons. Do I love going to the dentist, no. BUT, I am totally motivated by having healthy teeth into my old age, teeth that are my own. I am motivated by my fear of having rotten teeth, so I go to the dentist.

A woman I know lost over 200 pounds. She had bariatric surgery. Here is a direct quote from her note to me on why she had the surgery and works so hard to keep off the weight “Scared to die young - and it be my fault - for not taking care of me”. She goes to regular support meetings, exercises regularly and has given up pasta, despite her love of it; she knows it is not her friend. “Scared to go back to the way I was..... I never want to be put into that situation again! I could hardly walk! I couldn't fit into a plane or a booth - a bathroom stall..... very embarrassing to me!”

A “SparkPeople” member gives her friends $5 each. They buy her a little gift and wrap it. She stores them in a box and when she loses 10 pounds, she is allowed to pick one gift. What a great way to gain support from friends and family and stay on track with your program. Let your friends know what you like or let them surprise you. There are fun finds for men at the local sporting goods store or hardware store. Get family members involved, with a voucher for getting chores done for Mom or Dad, boy, wouldn’t that be a great gift. Let them know what you like and ask them, please, no fattening food treats.

These two stories are from the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program

“With the money that this participant and his wife are saving by quitting smoking, they are now excited to be planning a vacation. It has been over one month since he smoked a cigarette and says he said that he feels great being smoke-free. With new ideas he’s developed to deal with stress and alcohol, believes that he’ll be able to stay smoke-free.

This single father in Montana quit smoking both to maintain good health and to set a better example for his son. He’s glad to be past the one month mark in his quit and said that he used Chantix for the first month. He is very motivated to remain tobacco-free and does not see anything getting in the way of his smoke-free status.”

Four hundred plus Montana employers responded to a recent survey about worksite wellness programs. Those employers reported that 53% of employees participate in the wellness programs. Does your employer offer to pay for a gym membership, pay you to exercise, lose weight? Again, what motivates you to take care of yourself?

"If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."
Mickey Mantle

I am giving you permission to ask for help if you need some. Do you need help getting started? Do you need assistance to manage your schedule to make time for physical activity or how about time to prepare a wholesome meal? Maybe finding a different physical activity is what you need to keep you moving. Ask your Lifestyle Coach for some ideas. There are plenty of healthy recipes that don’t take a half day to prepare.

I challenge you, the reader, to make a list. What motivates you to take charge of your health? What will motivate you to keep going? Maintain your level of physical activity? Continue eating healthy? Maintain your weight or do you want to lose a few more pounds? You are either in the midst of the 16 week Diabetes Prevention Program or you finished the 16 weeks and now working on the 6 month follow-up program.

What motivates you to continue attending classes? Maybe you aren’t going, why not? The Diabetes Prevention Program wants your feedback. We want to help you succeed and reach your goals of good health.

“In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln

Do you have a story to share with others? Please contact Diane Arave,
406-444-0593 or darave2@mt.gov

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