TIP OF THE DAY - MONDAY

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have worked hard for an entire month to help make your dreams a reality. By now, you are well on your way to achieving all of your goals. Use what you've learned here to keep going and set new goals in the future.
I am not sure what if anything you have learned, but as for me starting February 1st I am going to write in my journal more again, put a sticker on the calendar every day I watch what I eat and I am going to print out copies of my goal which is to lose 50 pounds this year and I am going to print out my mantra which is, "IF IT IS TO BE, IT'S UP TO ME". I am doing pretty good about exercising at least 5 days a week sometimes 6 days and I like that I have increased the exercising time to 35-40 minutes. Look at your goals, review them, revise them if necessary, write them down and read them several times a day. Know your goals so you can work on them daily. It is very simple if you don't know what your goals are how do you expect to achieve them.

TIP OF THE DAY - SUNDAY

GET BACK ON TRACK... Slip ups are normal and they don't mean failure. Instead of beating yourself up for your mistakes, tell yourself that one error doesn't mean much. Don't wait until tomorrow, next week, or next month to get back on track. Start right away. Put your mistake into the past and move forward. Even the most successful people in the world make mistakes.
This is such a common sense tip. Too often when we mess up instead of getting back on track we tell our self we messed up already this week, we might as well just enjoy the rest of the week and eat what we want and then start again on Monday. The problem with this thinking is that many, many times Monday doesn't come for several weeks and we find that we have put on several pounds and we are discouraged and wanting to give up. We can't do that so tell yourself; just suck it up, take a big girl pill, put your big girl panties on, whatever you need to say to get yourself back on track where you know you want to be.

TIP OF THE DAY - SATURDAY

CREATE YOUR REALITY... The mind doesn't know the difference between imagined events and reality. Picture success. Try goal-related affirmations each day and your behavior will reflect what you want to be.
Okay this is an odd tip to me. I think it is like the quote, "as a man thinketh, so is he" or "you are what you eat". I just can't picture what it would be like to be skinny, just because it has been 30 plus years since I was skinny. I have tried it just does not work for me.

TIP OF THE DAY - FRIDAY

ADD VARIETY! To prevent boredom, try new things. Enroll in a class, find a local support group, try a new workout, or anything that keeps you excited.
This makes sense... but don't think it is going to be a chore to add a variety, it can be as easy as wearing different shoes to exercise, exercise in a different room, and if you walk outside, change up your route. Be creative. Sometimes I will exercise in jammies in the front room and that is just a tiny bit different but just enough of a change so I don't get bored.

TIP OF THE DAY - THURSDAY

GET THE RIGHT TOOLS... Sticking to your goals may require some supplies, like good shoes to exercise, or finance software to reduce debt. Choose the tools that keep you safe, first and foremost and help you measure your progress.
This is a good tip and one I never thought about. For our purposes, which is diet and exercise tools can really help. Good shoes for exercising, a small scale for measuring food if that is part of your diet program, a good bathroom scale for your weekly weigh-ins, and a journal or notebook for keeping track of your progress might all be helpful in reaching your goals. For me with the diet program I am in, I also needed a blender for mixing my shakes that I drink everyday.

TIP OF THE DAY - WEDNESDAY

CELEBRATE MILESTONES... While your long-term goal may be to lose 50 pounds, like me, each step lost is a step closer to your goal and each deserves recognition! Call a friend or write in your journal. You never know who you might inspire.
I love the rewards part of dieting. I do disagree the 1 pound losses. Yes I agree that every pound lost is a big deal but you can go up and down 1 or 2 pounds fairly easy so for me 5 pounds is a big deal. I celebrate them. I have lost 1/2 pound each week this new year. That isn't all that much and at this rate it will take me a year to lose that weight. But I am thrilled to be losing again. I just wished it was more of course.

TIP OF THE DAY - TUESDAY

DO LESS... Bombarding yourself with too many goals can be stressful. The more items you focus on, the more each task suffers from a lack of priority, attention and accuracy. Whittle down your to-do list to focus on what is really important.
I am one who loves to-do lists. The longer the list the more items I can check off and with each item checked off I feel like I am really accomplishing something. I use to-do lists when we are going camping, going to see family, getting Calvin ready to go hunting and with all the activities and lessons I am asked to do. The lists keep me on track and assured I will meet the goal date. I wish it worked that way with my weight. I don't have my to-do list for that. I set just two goals. I want to exercise at least 5 days a week and diet everyday. I want to lose at least 40 pounds this year.