After I finished my workout (week one, day one completed... woohoo!) I got to thinking about why the biggest loser was so motivating and my closet full of clothes that don't fit is not. Why pictures of me at my skinniest wearing a bikini at the beach don't encourage me to get up and run but watching a 526 pound guy weighing in on the BL ranch does.
That's when I realized that each time in the past that I got physically fit and healthy was the direct result of negative reinforcement. For those unfamiliar with the term: if I do something good, then something unpleasant will be taken away.
Case-in-point: When this picture was taken (when I was at my goal weight)
I was working as a nanny and walking a couple miles each morning to entertain the children while downtown and then running around all afternoon playing with them. Both of these actions kept them from screaming all day. Negative reinforcement.
I think that my motivation to run this morning may have been so strong because I'm hoping that by doing so I will avoid becoming like these people
or being diagnosed with a chronic disease like diabetes. Maybe if I focus on what consequences I'll avoid by getting in shape rather than than the benefits I'll gain I'll be more successful and stick to the plan.
Stay tuned for the results of this experiment...
On a side note, I'd like to thank Britney Spears for her song "Piece of me" and Jem for her song "They". Those songs came on during the last two running intervals of my workout and helped me push through and finish the workout without cutting corners.
I totally agree that the negative reinforcement seems to work better than positive reinforcement, at least for me I see it does. Good luck with c25k, you are going to do awesome!
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