8 Ways To Stay Motivated

Motivation - It's a word that brings up images of Matt Foley



or the ginormous Tony Robbins.



Staying motivated is hard for some people. If you're here reading this, I would like to think that you've been motivated to change the way you eat, but what do you do after a few months when the "newness" has worn off?

Here are a few ideas:

1) Look at old pictures/videos

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From Stock Photos

Nothing helps remind me of what I've accomplished quite like looking at a picture of me in my supposed "prime" and a picture of me today. The difference is undeniable and makes me want to continue improving.


2) Connect

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Find a way to connect with fellow paleo/primal enthusiasts. Twitter, Facebook, the MDA forums, Paleo Hacks, and Wednesday night primal chats are great ways to discover other people who have similar interests to you.

3) Connect...in real life

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Going out and being social helps to build your self esteem (unless it's really awkward like the guy all the way on the left "Do you smell that?"). People will notice the changes that you've made and most will compliment you on your accomplishments. Steer clear of the saboteurs who would love to see you fall back into your old ways.


4) Set new goals

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We all have the long term goals of being healthier, more active, and looking better naked. Set some new goals that can be quickly measured. I set a goal of completing 4+ Crossfit WODs each week. It's attainable, measurable, and works into my long term goals.

5) Read

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Read a book relating to your current goals. I picked up The Primal Blueprint. This book is serving as a tool for am learning new perspectives on issues as well as remembering why I was so excited about going Paleo in the first place. Better yet, find a few blogs to read. There is a list to the right of this website with a few suggestions to get you started!

6) Learn

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This kind of goes along with reading, but take some time to go over the latest research and news stories. Learn the biological reasons behind avoiding grains and eating more fat. Find out if people are supporting or disproving conventional wisdom. Most importantly, learn to question everything you read. Who supported the study? Who would make money from this study? What would Cordain think are the flaws this study? What would a vegan nutritionist think are the flaws of this study?

7) Cheat

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Seriously, go get 10 breaded buffalo wings, a burger (with the bun), fries with ketchup, jalapeño poppers, and a chocolate shake. Eat it all and remember how you feel. Not only will it cease that nagging inkling to cheat, but it will help remind you why you're not eating that way every day.

8) Find a way to be accountable

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Everyone needs to be accountable to someone. Very few people can hold themselves up to high standards. Others require a method to ensure they are remaining true to their goals. I chose to blog and tweet my progress. Others may wish to incorporate a friend, spouse, or family member.

These are by no means the only way to remain motivated, these are just the methods I have used the last few months. I strongly urge you to comment on this article and share your motivational techniques with others!

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McHunting and McGathering

My last post was about cheating. I made my case for cheating and how cheating can even be used as a tool to keep you on track. Let's look at another side of the issue. What should you do when you don't want to cheat, but you're away from home and food choices are looking pretty bad?

While nothing is as good as controlling the food going into your mouth by cooking for yourself, here are some tips for staying paleo while on the move. I'll try and rank these based on general paleo guidelines. My scores are completely subjective, based on no real system, completely debatable, and are out of 5.

1) Don't eat. Intermittent fasting 5/5

Pros - It's free, it's easy, and requires no planning

Cons - Fasting can lead to increased cortisol levels and if you're planning on working out later, that can have a negative effect on your goals and hormone levels

2) Chipotle Salad - 4/5

Pros - The beef is of a higher quality (good, but not all grass fed,) than most beef sources, add guacamole to get your omega 3's and 6's in balance

Cons- You have to customize your order without beans, cheese, or sour cream, you end up with beef, guacamole, and pico on a bed of lettuce

3) Jimmy John's Unwich - 3/5

Pros - No processed grains, will deliver

Cons - The sauces can be made with vegetable or soybean oils, cheese is dairy, meats aren't grassfed

4) Find a grocery store 3/5

Pros - Great selection, full control over what you eat

Cons - Your meal will probably be bland (raw veggies and lunch meat), most prepared food at a grocery store is as bad as most fast food and tastes worse

5) Subway salad 3/5

Pros - Good selection of vegetables

Cons - I get pissed off when a foot long sub costs less than my salad that has half of the meat, the quality of the meat is questionable (those aren't what chicken breasts look like), and since you shouldn't have most of the dressings, the meal is a little bland

6) Hardee's Low-carb Thickburger - 2/5

Pros - It's not a Big Mac

Cons - Ketchup, mayo, and cheese all need to be omitted, the quality of the meat is suspect, they're really messy, it takes a couple to feel satisfied

7) Panda Express 2 proteins with stir fried veggies- 1/5

Pros - Variety of proteins

Cons - A lot of proteins are breaded and fried, the quality of the protein is questionable, the sauces usually have a lot of sugar, MSG/salt content, cooking oils are vegetable based

I have only scratched the surface of the possibilities of this topic. This is a post that could really benefit from community involvement. I'd love to hear what paleo options you've found away from home. In fact, I'd like to get a permanent list of options going on the site. I'm sure there are plenty of other salad options out there, but have you found any more creative approaches to staying paleo on the go? Please comment or throw out an idea on Twitter! Use the hash tag #paleo2go.

Cheater!

Do I cheat? Yes. Do you cheat? Yes. Does Mark Sisson cheat? Yes. Does Art DeVaney cheat? Yes. Everyone cheats, but without a doubt everyone cheats to a different degree.

The word cheating kind of annoys me. It implies guilt for enjoying something. I grew up a Lutheran with a Roman Catholic mother, so I've had enough of that. Is it really that bad to have a meal that doesn't follow paleo guidelines?

When I talk about cheating, I'm not referring to my use of butter, cream, and cheese in moderation to enhance a few dishes each week. I'm talking about this:

After a day at Lincoln Park Zoo and a 3 mile hike to Wrigleyville, my fiancé and I went to Lucky's Sandwich Shop. If you like watching Man vs. Food, you may have seen the episode where he conquers the Lucky's challenge.

Anyways, we decide to get a sandwich before hopping back on the EL to get home. A Lucky's sandwich consists of meat, cheese, cole slaw, french fries, and bread with optional bacon, a fried egg, lettuce, or tomato. Those ingredients are all on the sandwich. Add dollar beers into the factor, and you've got a recipe for disaster, right?

Here is my reasoning and ensuing game plan for incorporating cheat meals into a paleo lifestyle.

I expect to eat a diet that resembles the paleo philosophy for the rest of my life or until veritable research proves to me that there is a better way to live. My main problem is that I love food....a lot. There are a lot of meals I can make work within a paleo structure, but certain things like sandwiches, desserts, and certain ethnic meals are impossible to make in a paleo way. From time to time, I miss falafel, breaded & fried food, and chocolate peanut butter cups. Most of the time, I don't.

So how can you go about cheating without ruining your progress?

1) Use cheats as a reward - This is the standard advice, but it works. Only allow yourself a cheat meal if you've done something exceptional. Just don't find too many reasons to cheat (Friday is not a reason to reward yourself).

2) Use cheats to deal with social situations - We've all been the one person at a restaurant, requesting no potatoes, no noodles, subbed for veggies. It makes me feel like a tool and sometimes, I want to eat a meal the way a chef intended it to be eaten. I think this same logic applies to alcohol in social situations as well.

3) Work in your cheat meal after a tough workout - After a tough workout, your glucose and glycogen levels should be quite low. This makes the impending insulin spike less detrimental and can even help stimulate some muscle growth.

4) Remember how cheating makes you feel - There are some times where a cheat meal will leave me feeling like crap, tired, and even ravenous for more bad food. Remember which meals make you want to barf and sleep (hopefully in that order...RIP Jimmy) and you'll be much less likely to want them again any time soon.

5) Look in the mirror the next day - A sudden intake in processed carbs will leave you puffy for at least 24-48 hours. Use this time to take a look in the mirror and remind yourself that this food will lead to you looking puffier and puffier over time.

You have to live and you can't always work life into our ideal little paleo structure. I can sincerely tell you that over the last 9 weeks, my cravings for crap have consistently decreased, so I expect cheating to become less of an issue for me in the future. In the mean time, stop looking at cheats as a transgression and start looking at them as opportunities to keep you on the road to long term success. How do you work cheating into your game plan? Please comment!