DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been going to the gym fairly consistently for about a year now. In the past month, I have slacked off. It wasn’t intentional. One week I had a cold. Then I got busy with work and getting my kids back into the groove of school. The next thing you know, I haven’t gone for a while. When I get on the scale, I can see that the pounds are coming back fast. I feel so bad about lapsing. Part of me feels like it’s too hard to keep up the pace, but my doctor says I have to work out and lose weight or I will get sick. How can I get motivated again? -- Workout Blues, Cincinnati
DEAR WORKOUT BLUES: Even when you have been good at exercising, it can be so easy to lose your momentum. Once you stop working out entirely, it can be difficult to rev up again. That said, you can do it! Your doctor’s wake-up call is your motivation. Of course you want to be healthy and avoid getting sick. If working out and changing your eating habits are the keys to good health, set them as a priority and get up and move.
Create incentives for yourself. If you work out three days in a week, what gift can you give yourself? If you get to five or more, what bonus can you set? Make sure these are healthy options. You may win the chance to go to the movies or to a museum. You may get to sleep in one morning after working out six days in a row. Psych yourself into doing right by your body. You will not regret it.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)