May 2004. In putting together today's "Inner Circle" newsletter, I found myself addressing many member's pleas for help because they had lost their motivation last week. Because so many of us struggle with this area of our lives, I wanted to pass on to you, as well, what I passed on to them today:

1. WRITE down WHY you began your journey. How were you feeling? What were you thinking? What did you think at the time the consequences would be to NOT making the decision? What were you hoping to gain from the decision? How did you expect yourself to follow-through on the decision? What would your world look like if you did follow-through? How about if you didn’t?
2. HANG the WRITING on your bathroom mirror, or some other place that you are forced to look at it, or plan to READ it every morning with coffee for one week, or one month, or however long it takes for the decision to become a lifestyle.
3. FIND other pictures that represent what you want to accomplish and hang them up. When I’m getting really lean for a photo shoot, I hang fitness model photos all over my house – on the fridge, in the pantry, on my desk, in my bathroom, etc. Looking at them reminds me of my decision and makes me think twice before doing something that’s not part of my plan. I keep a lean body in my 3 ring binder, on my desk and on my refrigerator at other times as well.
4. MAKE a PLAN. Put the components of your plan in your calendar, and then review them and commit to them each morning. Did you schedule your exercise? Did you make a meal plan? When was your exercise to occur? What were you supposed to be eating yesterday?
5. FORGET about WHY you didn’t do something. Don’t get paralyzed by analysis, just DO IT as Nike says. Strengthen your plan and commitment for the rest of the day and JUST DO IT. Get rid of barriers (i.e. boxes of cookies) and get positioned to be successful.
6. Enlist the help of a friend and don’t get angry with them when they try and hold you accountable. TELL someone, “I AM going to be exercising Mon, Wed and Fri for the next 4 weeks and I want you to ask me if I did it each of those days and remind me of these things that I TELL you (your reasons why) when I don’t.”
7. REALIZE that YOUR HEALTH is a lifetime journey. Take many weeks to establish good habits – push yourself, and then once the behavior is established, live your life around it. Don’t be afraid to take a day off. Don’t beat yourself up when the job, kids and social obligations get to be too much every now and then. LIVE your life without being too stringent. Allow for some flexibility while being WISE enough to know the difference between simply making excuses for yourself and committing to more than you can handle vs actually having an overwhelming day.
8. LOVE yourself in the process by holding yourself accountable and committing to the rest of your healthy LIFE.

1. WRITE me each day this week with what you’ve done. I expect to see your exercise and your meals each day.
2. TAKE your measurements if you haven’t already and then re-measure next Sunday to see how your body has changed. This will provide motivation for you.
3. SEND me your number 1 from above.