Does Motivation Matter?

The title of this post is rhetorical...of course motivation matters....that is a given. But does the TYPE of motivation matter? Does the WHY matter as long as it gets you where you need to go?

As far as my weight loss journey goes, I do have the "normal" reasons for wanting to drop my excess weight. I want to be healthy. I want to be a good example for my daughter. I want to be able to run races and feel like an athlete. These are my public, run of the mill, standard answers to the "why" behind what I am doing.

I'll let you in on a little secret though...there are other reasons...reasons that might not be the "purest" of motivators, but they are there all the same. To be honest, most times these "dirty" reasons are more motivating for me than the stock answers.

Confession time....I want to lose weight/get fit because...

1. I have a friend/co-worker who is one of those women that you (well me) wish that you were. (I really wish that I could post a picture of her here, but I wouldn't do that to her.) She's little and cute, always perfectly dressed and accessorized, and super smart and nice to boot. When I'm standing or sitting next to her, I feel like Godzilla. I so want to be able to sit with her and not feel like she is a city dweller fleeing frantically as I try to devour Japan.

2. My daughter has a signature saying "Ha ha now!" It's her equivalent of sticking her tongue out and saying "Nyah Nyah Nyah." I really want to have a "Ha ha now" moment with a couple of my exes...the more jaw dropping the better. During my runs and kickboxing classes I sometimes visualize whole scenarios where I get this moment. I know it makes me petty...oh well.

3. I have a group of friends that I affectionately call "The Rowdies." These girls are a little younger than I am and who I go out with when I feel like I want to recapture some of my youth. These girls are always coiffed, tanned, and dressed to the nines. When we go out I feel like the older sister (which I am, but still...) I want to go out and feel like a TRUE Rowdy...coiffed, tanned, and dressed to the nines. (Again, I wish I could post a picture of my Rowdies...)

4. CLOTHES. I want to be able to able to go into the Gap, Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor and be able to buy anything I want and not have to worry about if something is going to be too tight, or not button or zip. I want to look DAMN good.

This is my short list of motivators. I know they aren't the ones that would get published in Shape, Self, or Fitness, but truly they are the ones that get me through. So, does the WHY matter if it gets you to where you need to go?

Tools for Triumph!

At first I was going to title this post, "Secrets to Success," but I figured that I would be a tad bit more creative with it....not TOO much more creative. I have the mother of all headaches (more on that later) so a tiny bit of alliteration is all I could manage. (I was also going to put a picture of "The Situation" under the heading "Tool #1, but the aforementioned headache prevented me from figuring out how.)

Tool #1

My Weight Watchers Journal.

Hidden inside this snazzy cover is both my 12 week Weight Watchers journal and and my weigh in "passbook" that I hand over every week at my WW meeting. Journalling works for me. I know that when I am diligent about writing down what goes into my mouth, I not only am (usually) successful on the scale, but I also FEEL in control of my eating. I know when I'm lacking in certain areas...when I'm eating too much...or not enough.

This being said...am I perfect at keeping my food journal. Nope...not really. There are days (primarily the weekend) when I don't journal at all and there are days when I stop writing after lunch. But, for me, this is about the process...about getting better, rather than being perfect all at once.

Tool #2

My 32 oz Nalgene Water Bottle

(BPA free thankyouverymuch!)

Drink water keeps things...ummm...moving. And when I'm drinking water, I am not drinking diet soda. (Coke Zero...oh how I miss you so.) I'm really bad about drinking my water in the winter, much better about drinking it in the summer months. Although I try to drink a majority of my water plain, I do use Crystal Light-ish packets. Right now I am LOVING the True Lemon raspberry lemonade packets. Not too much sweetness, just a little "oomph!"

Tool #3

My sneakers.

(In this case, my nasty Mizunos that are starting to spring a hole by my little toe. Be thankful that blogger does not have a smell-o-vision option)

Exercise is a huge part of my life now. Every morning I drag my ass out of bed at 4:45 to walk four miles with my mother. This takes us about an hour and centers my mind for the day. Later on in the day I have a second workout of the sweat dripping variety---P90X, kickboxing, running, TurboJam...anything to supplement the way I start my day.

(Side note on those Mizunos...I got them off of eBay--brand freaking new--for like $15. The seller had bought them without trying them on and they were too narrow. I saved like $100 because of this poor woman's mistake! It's worth your while to do a quick search if you are in the market for some new kicks. You never know what treasures you might find!)