http://projectsupermom.blogspot.com/2011/03/resolutions-revisited.html

Hello, my lovelies, and a happy mid-March greeting to you! Why so perky, you ask? Other than the fact that this week has seen a streak of mid-60s and warmer temps, sunny days, longer evenings, and the rechristening of several of my pairs of flip-flops (my poor, swollen feet are grateful!)? Well, it is mid-March, after all...a full month after many people have completely dropped their New Year's resolutions and are back to life as they know it. According to studies, most of us ditch our resolutions by February 16th...ahem, this happen to you? Or, are you one of the few that has made it?!!

At the beginning of the year, we talked about a few new ways to change up your eating habits and some different options for hitting your exercise goals that didn't rely on having a gym membership. Did you commit to trying any of them? Are you still trying? If you've fallen off your own bandwagon, why? My theories for "why" include boredom, lack of accountability, less than stellar support, no clear goals (this vague, "I wanna be skinny" or "I don't want to be fat" is what I mean...sounds great but how do you get there?), and no reward system in place. Or, maybe you do have one in place that involves rewarding attendance at a kickboxing class with a Qdoba burrito sans cheese (yeah, right!) with a side of chips and queso! This was a CLASSIC post-workout meal for me, in my early days. Of course, all I did was basically wipe-out all the benefits of the exercise I'd just done with the calories and fat I shoveled in my face. So, move away from treating yourself with an extra helping of dinner or a Dairy Queen Blizzard and find something else that will keep you motivated and excited to hit your resolution goals. Some ideas involve some cash outlay like a mani/pedi treatment or a shopping spree for a new summer dress. Some can be as simple as fitting back into a favorite pair of jeans or being able to comfortably toddle after your toddler at the park. If it just has to be food, pick a weekday to treat yourself to a lunch splurge or have a weekend day like family pizza night as a predesignated splurge for hitting your eating and exercise goals.

My reward system can be best summarized by the pictures below:

I LOVE coats! The black marks a non-spendy reward...I just wanna fit back into it! It was a newer purchase, after I'd hit my weightloss goals, and I couldn't believe it fit, when I tried it on. It was on clearance, so there were no other sizes available...the fact that it is so small and fit...it was like it was meant just for me! The second is also a clearance rack coat that I found, while in my first trimester of pregnancy. This coat just screams my name, and although I coulda started wearing it, unzipped of course, I chose to save it as a later reward for losing my baby weight. Both are hung in my coat closet, where they beckon to me. They are a visible and very concrete reminder of what awaits me, when I reach my goals. They are a reminder to make the choice to get out to walk, even when I'd rather slum on the couch...they come to mind, when I'm staring longingly at a brownie, steering me and my sweet tooth to fruit, a bowl of cereal, or a yogurt.

If you've lost your New Year's resolution mojo, keep checking back here for help and ideas. But, evaluate your goals, break them down into small and big steps, then dangle some concrete rewards out there for yourself. Heck, share them here, if you'd like! Then, get back up on your bandwagon and get after it!