Building new habits takes time and repetition. Motivation is about having both the energy and the desire to put effort behind our intentions. This can really help us focus on the task at hand, but motivation can seem to come and go quickly. So, what does it take to create and sustain motivation for health habits?

1. Know how to recharge your motivation. Motivation is drained or rejuvenated by the events of our day. Knowing how to spark it back to life after it’s taken a hit can be a game changer for habit building.

2. Set goals within your stage of change. “Stages of Change” refers to our readiness to take and sustain action, and each stage requires different efforts to move through it. Recognize where you are in the behavior change process and set the appropriate goals.

3. Build on success. Identifying barriers and preventing or problem-solving those obstacles is important. But, so is identifying what’s working and doing more of that! Focusing on what’s going well and supporting those best efforts is great for motivation, mindset, and progress towards a goal.

4. Have a plan for special circumstances. Habits work best in familiar circumstances, so everything from illness to travel to busy work weeks and more can throw off even the best routine. Having options for special circumstances planned in advance can help you stay on track.

Health Coaches Adam Roberts and Amanda Fox will dive deeper into how this process works in their new Group Health Coaching series. Join them weekly October 6 through October 27 from noon to 12:30 p.m. in the four-week series “Building Habits: Generating Motivation for Sustainable Success”.

Image credit: istockphoto.com