How to Maintain the Motivation to Stay Healthy When Life Knocks You Down
I think these days a lot of people know the basics of how to stay healthy by eating clean and exercising. But of course knowing is not nearly enough. You have to DO. Today I thought I would chat a bit about something I don’t usually talk much about: motivation.
If you know my story, you know I have certainly been knocked down in life. But I am far from alone. In fact, the older I get (I am now 41 years old), the more perspective I have and the more I realize my struggles are minimal compared to what some people go through.
But How Do You Maintain the Motivation to Stay Healthy Year After Year?
Let’s face it: maintaining the motivation to eat clean and exercise can be tough on a good day, but what about on a bad day? Or what about after a crisis or a major personal setback?
How Do You Maintain Motivation After Life Knocks You Down?
Sometimes life throws you a really cruddy curve ball. Everything can be running smoothly and then suddenly you find yourself dealing with a an unpleasant “new normal”.
How do you find the inner strength to motivate yourself to do what it takes to stay healthy during the painful stages of life?
My Experience
The last major life setback I had was a few years ago after my 2nd hip surgery. I had a femoral derotational osteotamy to correct a congenital hip disorder (femoral retroversion) and ended up with a complication that left me in terrible pain and unable to walk for over six months. The surgery required breaking my thigh bone in half to rotate the top of my femoral head into the “normal” position. Instead of the bone healing like it was supposed to, mine stayed broken. My complication had nothing to do with my surgeon (who was amazing!), but rather just bad luck.
I know people go through life challenges that are far worse than having a broken leg for six months. But the ordeal left me in a terrible funk. And I found maintaining the motivation to stay healthy at that stage in my life incredibly challenging.
Not being able to walk and having constant pain was definitely an unpleasant “new normal” for me. However, I DID find a way to push through…
How to Stay Motivated Through the Ups & Downs of Life
I sat down with Dave Smith, from Make Your Body Work to chat about how to maintain motivation when life knocks you down. I share what has worked for me and I hope some of what we discussed will help you too.
We cover a lot of different areas related to motivation–including how to increase BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor), the benefits of dynamic meditation, the role exercise plays in mood and so much more!
You can listen to the Podcast below or read the transcript here.
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