I’m looking to get into a habit of the type of content I’m posting on the blog, and I like the idea of having some type of organization, so you know what to expect and I’m sure to keep the content fresh.  Of course, my work schedule is slightly less than predictable (ha!), so as soon as I promise a schedule, I’m sure the Tuesday post will come out Wednesday, or I’ll think of something awesome to post on a given day that is off schedule, etc.  But if we go with this schedule, it’ll be more of a suggestion than a rule.  So tell me what you think … are these good topics?  Is there anything I’m missing?  I’ll give it a shot for a few weeks and we’ll see how it’s going.

• Motivation Mondays (motivational push: a challenge, health tip, or interesting new study)
• Work Out Wednesdays (tip related to working out, new forms of exercise I’m trying, etc.)
• Foodie Friday (recipe or great new food find)
• 7 Tips Saturday/ Sunday (7 healthy tips like this post or this one)

So, without further ado … here’s your first “Motivation Monday”! I read an interesting University of Michigan study over the weekend (found via Twitter) that investigated how different motivational images and advertisements affected people trying to lose weight.  Here’s the good news … motivation DOES work!  Those who viewed motivational images or advertisements on a daily basis did meet their goals more quickly!  Several studies have actually shown this before, but this one served as confirmation, and had a few additional findings as well:

• “Daily well-being” is more motivational for women, and “weight loss” and “health” are more motivational for men (obviously this doesn’t apply to everyone!)
• Promoting exercise for the primary purpose of weight loss actually DECREASES intrinsic motivation for women, and leads to a poorer body image.  But men CAN increase motivation just by thinking about weight loss. (So interesting!)
• Finding pleasure in exercise motivates EVERYONE to work out more (so, find something you can enjoy rather than MAKING yourself slog away in the gym if you hate it)

Now, I’m certainly not implying that everyone reading this blog wants (or needs) to lose weight, and this is by no means a weight-loss-only blog.  But I have to imagine that the results may extend to those just trying to live a healthier life in general, and that we can all benefit from a little motivation in our lives!  If you think you could use some additional motivation, I can help!  I usually post a few motivational images per week on Facebook (click on this link and then “Like” The Lyons’ Share Wellness, or use the “Like” box on the right of this page), and post several articles per day on Twitter (at this link).  I also recommend recommitting to yourself every day … whether you rocked it yesterday or you missed your workout or you plowed through 3 bags of M&Ms, today is a new day – make it awesome!

And remember …

So tell me in the comments … do you like the blog schedule?  What is your best motivation to live a healthy lifestyle?