As anyone who has been through, or is working through, a healthy journey knows, sticking to new healthy habits can be difficult.
There will be days when it will feel like a battle to get yourself to the gym and days when the last thing you want to see is another vegetable. There might even be days when you consider throwing in the towel and want to give up living healthier for good.
The contestants of this year’s Florence’s Biggest Loser are no strangers to these thoughts and feelings. Even though they are in a competition setting, many still have to work hard to follow their new nutrition and fitness habits, especially as they get closer to the halfway point of the competition.
To help those who might be struggling with their healthy habits, we asked the contestants what tips and tricks they have been using to stay motivated and accountable during the competition.
“My husband has been my constant positive support throughout my participation in the Florence’s Biggest Loser and I also do a daily weigh-in at home as well. My goal is to go to the gym 5-6 times a week. There have been days when I was so achey and tired that I just wanted to stay home. My husband would gently remind me how proud he is of my work and that I really should go. My weight loss has been slow, but I can feel how much healthier I am overall.” – Marianne Keenaghan
“I have accountability partners for my exercise and I use my family for my nutrition. I take screen shots on my phone when I’m done and send it to them. Doing this is not just about accountability, it is also about encouragement and coaching.” – Aaron Robinson
“To help motivate myself, I have actually taped each weigh-in result to the front of my fridge. Also, everyone at work knows that I am doing the Florence’s Biggest Loser competition and they help keep me on track. My plan is at the end of the competition I am going to go to the McLeod Spa and treat my body to a massage.” – Dr. Erin Lusher
“I find that knowing I will face the scale each week helps me keep motivated. I also look for my trainer when I am at the gym and he usually has a positive word for me.” – Brian Kress
“One of the things I do to help stay disciplined in the competition is pray. I also am motivated by all the people involved; such as the people at the United Way of Florence County, those who work at the McLeod Health and Fitness Center, and the other contestants. We are all in this together and everybody is working together to get healthy. It also helps me to know that we are not only helping ourselves, but we are also helping others either by encouraging them to get on a health kick like us or by providing funds for the United Way to help people.” – Valda Brown-Graham
“When I first entered this competition, I posted on Facebook that it was the beginning of a new life for me. Since then, I have posted every day on Facebook the workout routine I completed as well as my weight results; which includes current weight, pounds lost, cumulative pounds lost, and percentage weight loss.” – Michael Hesbach.
“I like to see the numbers on the scales keep going down, that’s what motivates me the most. As far as accountability, my wife and daughters help me to keep my mind set on not only exercising, but also eating right.” – Kevin Dwyer