I’m not perfect nor am I an expert when it comes to healthy living, so when it comes to offering advice, I don’t feel qualified. However, I do feel that sharing my insights and ways of thinking after numerous trials and tribulations and 24 years of exercising, eating well, and not eating well could be of some help. I’ve developed an innate awareness of my body compass, and when I listen to it, my body changes in the ways I want. My behavior is in definite pursuit of a “better body,” but in my weight-loss efforts I’m always in need of some motivational tips for healthy living.

Here are three new ways to think about weight loss and healthy living when you’re struggling with motivation, temptation, or just need that extra “oomph” to get you closer to your health and lifestyle goals.

Tip #1 - Fit bodies are earned on the weekend.

Well, good bodies are also during the week. However, when I’m focusing on weight loss I typically eat very well and exercise regularly during the workweek because my weekdays are highly regimented. I go-go-go Monday thru Friday, and there’s not much time to relax or ponder over a craving when you’re busy at work and going from here to there. Once the weekend begins and there’s a “loosen the tie” or “take down your hair” mentality, it’s so much easier to let go of the reins, slip up on eating healthy or skip a workout. I tell myself that fit bodies are earned on the weekend because all the weight you’ve lost during the week could be gained back easily by a few nights of cocktails and going out to dinner. Weight loss is straightforward. It’s about calories in and calories out. If I had a week’s deficit of 3,500 calories (one pound) by Friday, but had that many excess calories in brunch, alcohol, restaurant dinners or desserts within the weekend (which is not hard to do), then all that hard work goes to waste.

Tip #2 - “You need to do something you've never done before to get the results you've never seen.” 

This is a mantra I tell myself when I don’t want to do sprints or a workout that is new and challenging, and instead I want to just lightly jog or walk around the city. It’s fine to do those leisurely activities as a way to decompress, but when you go for a workout to drop some lbs, it’s important to maximize that precious time to get the highest burn possible. For many people working at a desk job, most of their lives are sedentary, so it’s important to get the blood pumping hard when you can.

Tip #3 - Remember, weight loss is both scientific and emotional.

For most of my life, I’ve struggled with weight but it has never been this all-consuming battle preventing me from having good self-esteem or pursuing challenges. I was overweight for most of my childhood, went through a pretty significant transformation in my late adolescence, and since then, have been trying to figure out the balance of reaching a fitness goal and maintaining it for the long term. It seems silly, but reaching this body “ideal” has always been on the imaginary to-do list of my life. I’m goal-oriented, a recovering perfectionist with over-achieving “binges,” but my fitness has always been something I’ve felt “needs improvement.” Does this sound familiar?

Focusing on the numbers or metrics is good if you’re trying to achieve a healthy BMI or cholesterol, but success could also be considered as a “feeling,” “mindset” or “behavior,” as long as your health is in check. When I reached my lightest, I still held this mentality of “I need to lose x” more pounds. Now, when I look at photos of myself from that time, I think, “DAMN I looked good! Why didn’t I appreciate it in the moment?” One of my goals is to really savor and appreciate the feeling when I reach a certain goal, rather than quickly scratching it off the to-do list and moving to the next task. Throughout a weight loss journey and throughout your search for motivation, it’s important to be realistic with measured goals - it is one of the most important elements of healthy living. Extreme expectations set you up for failure and deplete your willpower quickly.