DAY 3 – Enthusiasm…what drives us when it fades?
Enthusiasm is a curious thing. We can be full of it at the beginning of a new challenge, getting us out of the start gates…then it starts to decline, some times rapidly! I am interested in discovering what keeps us going with a challenge – what takes over when the enthusiasm dies?
So here I have my top five tips to keep motivated and I will add any more I pick up on the way into my 8 week Sugar Free Challenge!
1. What’s my WHY?
In order to keep going at something the core motivation behind it has to be strong, and I mean bullet proof strong – i.e. a decision made with your heart rather than your head.
This decision to go sugar free for me was all about looking after myself better and doing something kind to myself – so my knees and wrists (arthritis) hurt less (a strong motivation as I love running and yoga and have missed them of late), so I feel a greater clarity and ultimately to be free of this pesky addiction to sugar.
2. Side step the cravings and voices in your head – step into a different energetic frequency
- A candle lit warm bath with lavender and Epsom salts
- A great book – an indulgent ‘page turner’ that I can retreat to with a cup of tea at the end of the day.
- Think of someone else. Reach out to a friend/colleague that might be going through a rough time, to get me out of myself.
- Meditate – take a moment to re-connect, and find peace within
- Go for a beautiful walk in the park
3. “This too shall pass”
Cravings pass…tough moments in life pass…everything moves on regardless of it being hard or easy. The key therefore is to stick with those feelings of emotional discomfort, sit through them, to actually experience them rather than simply numb with sugar. The feeling when the discomfort has passed without trying to push it down is far more exhilarating that the taste of sugar I promise you!
4. Get excited about cooking again.
I have a wealth of amazing books from which I will be gleaning inspiration over the next 8 weeks: I Quit Sugar Cookbook, Crazy Sexy Kitchen and Honestly Healthy to start with – this will keep me inspired for the long haul…and who knows could make a ‘cook’ (a term I use loosely!) out of me yet!
5. Flowers.
Buy yourself flowers! Flowers – especially roses I find – have the power to calm you down and recalibrate. They can bring the calming spirit of nature into your home which when riding an emotional roller coaster is just what we all need.
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