Getting Through the Transition by Joanie Greggains No matter how great your workouts are going or how successful your new approach to eating, one day you'll wake up and think to yourself, "Is this it?"  When that happens, you've hit the transition, the point where you're closing in on or have reached your original goals and need a new horizon to shoot for.  Many people get lost in the transition because they attribute their new ambivalence to "boredom."  But it's much more than that.  And when you recognize and plan for this tricky passage, you'll be able to come through it stronger and more committed than before. Sometimes the way through it is obvious.  You might try making your workout more challenging or getting more exercise outside the gym -- say, by taking up hiking.  Or you might decide to push forward with a long-range plan to eat an even healthier diet.  Sometimes those kinds of solutions work.  But it's important to remember that anything you do for your body isn't just about your body.  It's about you.  Once you recognize that, it's easy to see what change might spark your enthusiasm and keep you going. When you hit that slump, look beyond what you're doing about diet and exercise to find new answers.  Bear in mind that for many people, the transition comes when their minds haven't quite caught up to the other changes they've made. You know you've hit the transition when: you begin finding good, valid excuses for missing workouts; you don't get the same satisfaction out of reaching your goals that you did before; you begin taking your accomplishments for granted. You can survive the transition and come out better for it by: talking to someone who knows you and understands your attitude toward fitness, preferably someone who's witnessed the changes you've gone through; setting new goals you find exciting; trying new activities, making it a point to learn more about exercise or nutrition, or taking classes with a new teacher. Record Your Goals Before you begin making any major changes in your health - no matter how minor or grand - always write down in a small notebook why you're doing it.  You don't have to write a book, but you should spend at least 15 minutes putting down on paper what you feel about yourself and why these changes are important to you.  Write about what you hope to accomplish and what it means to you.  Keep this by your bed and look at it as often as you need to, to remind yourself why you started and what you want to achieve.