Need Motivation to Improve Your Life?

“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the waters.” -Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet

Here’s what the dictionary says about “motivation”:

• the act of giving somebody a reason or incentive to do something
  
• a feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment that makes somebody want to do something, or something that causes such a feeling
  
• a reason for doing something or behaving in a particular way

• The prevention of illness and staying healthy so you can enjoy your family and hobbies and life in general
• To live longer and be able to relish those years through healthy aging
• So you can look good and feel good
• To lose weight

Prevention

I once had a work colleague who would comment upon seeing me eating my lunch of fruit and nuts or a salad: “Mary Jane is going to live forever.”

He said this in a somewhat mocking manner, suggesting that I was being silly by eating a healthy diet because we are all just going to die anyhow.

I always laughed and didn’t get defensive, not being a confrontational person and wanting to stay peaceful while eating, but in my mind I would say, “I eat this way not because I expect to live forever but because I want my years here to be healthy and disease free. I like feeling good!”

Science is finally agreeing with us health nuts that many diseases are the result of poor nutrition. Heart disease. Cancer. Diabetes. Arthritis. Osteoporosis. Obesity. Digestive disorders such as reflux disease and chronic constipation. Just to name a few.

Both of my parents died of cancer. Both of my grandfathers died of heart disease. I don’t want to. You probably feel the same way, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

Poor nutrition will lead to a lowered immune system. A weakened immune system will cause a person to come down with colds or the flu more often.

One of the first things people who change their diets notice is that they don’t get sick so often. That’s what happened with me!

So, eating for the prevention of disease can be a great motivating factor for some people.

Love yourself enough to eat well and stay healthy.

Does your love life need a boost? Try offering your sweetheart the right foods and experience the difference.

Healthy Aging

I remember as a young girl hearing my grandmother say she didn’t want to live to be old. People just expect to be sick in their later years.

I believe that if we live a healthy lifestyle, which includes healthy eating, of course, but also exercise, getting reasonable amounts of sunshine, fresh air, enjoying love and friendships with others, that goal to live longer becomes one that is realistic and we can feel excited about our future, not dread it.

Look Good/Feel Good/Lose Weight

A big motivating factor for many people is vanity. We want to look good. Many Americans need to lose weight. Big time.

A healthy diet can help with that.

I have experimented on myself with diets over the years. From being raised on the Standard American Diet (SAD), I started concentrating on eating whole, natural foods rather than chemical-laden, heavily processed foods . Next, I became a lacto-ovo vegetarian. That means I included dairy and eggs in my diet. Later on I switched to a vegan (no animal products) diet.

When I stopped eating animal products, I noticed a slow, steady weight loss.

I believe the highest, healthiest diet is a raw foods (living foods) diet . Nothing cooked. That diet can cause easy, relatively fast weight loss.

Other pleasant side effects can include clearer skin, more energy, brighter outlook , better sleeping, and the disappearance of many health problems.

Click here to learn more about eating for beauty.

Don’t despair. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Research/Study

Investigate various healthy living resources… motivational speakers, alternative health practitioners, open-minded allopathic physicians.

Read health books and magazines. Start reading everything you can get your hands on. Read other people’s stories for inspiration. Search the Internet (which you’re obviously already doing, since you’ve found this website) for health and wellness websites.

Visit health food stores and ask questions.

Check into vegetarian groups in your area. These groups often have knowledgeable speakers. Meetup is another possible resource. You'll meet other like-minded folks.

Certain network marketing companies carry healthy products that you can’t find in stores and can also provide scientific research about health. For instance, in the last few years there has been a great deal of interest about the Chinese wolfberry .

Read the words of some deep thinkers, famous vegetarians and celebrities; click here .

Exercise

It seems kind of basic, but I’ll mention it anyway. People who don’t understand what it means to eat healthy may just skip meals to lose weight. Skipping meals can cause you to feel tired, grumpy and fuzzy headed. Lack of energy may provoke an evening as a couch potato, watching TV and eating snacks. Duh.

If they’d just eaten healthfully at meals and then continued on with their normal exercise routine, they’d lose the weight and feel energetic.

Health Retreats

For the ultimate in emotional support and motivation, you may want to visit a health retreat. I’ve stayed at a couple and I know firsthand how life-changing they can be. A wonderful place to get away from it all, eat cleansing and nutritious raw foods, wheatgrass and juices, become more educated about health in their many educational classes is Optimum Health Institute in Lemon Grove, California (near San Diego). I’ve loved staying there and always come away feeling and looking much better. Their prices are reasonable and the grounds are lovely and garden like.

I’ve also stayed at Creative Health Institute in Union City, Michigan. They also provide raw foods, wheatgrass, and classes amidst peaceful rural surroundings.

Hallelujah Acres is a special organization devoted to teaching nutrition from a Biblical perspective. Founded by Rev. George Malkmus, they present many seminars and free talks, have a store, café, and a website that contains many helpful and inspiring testimonials.

Prayer

If you’re really struggling with health issues and you know you need to make changes in your lifestyle, why not consider prayer? Ask God to help you.

I recently read a book about combining fasting and prayer. It’s Fasting written by Jentezen Franklin. Don’t be scared away at the thought of fasting. It doesn’t have to be just water. It could be the Daniel fast, during which you consume only vegetables, fruit and water for 21 days. Or it could be a fresh juice fast. Fasts can last one day or three days. Pastor Franklin says, “When you eliminate food from your diet for a number of days, your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God.” I recommend this book for inspiration and motivation. It tells you what to expect physically, mentally and spiritually while on a fast. It might transform you, physically and spiritually.

Feed your spirit and improve your mood with Vitamin N.

Coaching

Another thing that may help is a nutrition coach. People hire personal trainers, why not a nutrition trainer?

Hallelujah Acres offers classes to train people to become Health Ministers. They counsel people in their neighborhoods and offer classes to help people get started and maintain their healthy eating habits.

Try searching online for “vegan nutrition coach” and you’ll come up with lots of options to explore.
Which brings us back to...

I hope some of the suggestions I’ve given will provide motivation to get you started on your healthy eating adventure.

Return from this Motivation tips page to the Healthy Eating home page .