Monday, August 25, 2008

Attitude Adjustment

By Courtney Westlake



Staying motivated in order to live a healthy lifestyle is often easier said than done. Much of self-motivation depends on attitude, which is a new decision every day.

"It's important to have a positive attitude," said Amanda Jillson, assistant director of fitness and instructional programs at the TRAC. "It's important for accomplishing your goals, important for your mental health and for overall health and well-being."

Attitude drives behavior - what attitude you adopt will "determine how your day is going to go," Jillson said.

If you come to work or school with a negative attitude, that will affect your behaviors that day, whether it's being rude to someone, not doing your best on a project or deciding to not work out or eat healthily.

"You are the owner of your attitude; you're the one who chooses your attitude," Jillson said. "You're the one who chooses whether to be positive or negative with your behaviors, thoughts and interactions with people. Make sure to stay positive; try to put a smile on your face even if you're fighting a negative attitude."

Attitude has a major impact on mental health and overall well-being. Every day is a new day with new decisions. Each day, you need to decide to live a healthy lifestyle, decide to be active and to make healthy food decisions.

"If all of a sudden, something happens and you can't work out one day, you can't let that get you down the next day," Jillson said. "You have to take on a new attitude each day and make a new decision to live a healthy lifestyle each day."

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