Need Motivation? The Missing Ingredient in Your Healthstyle Journey

by | Oct 8, 2014

Photo by JD Hancock

When I was a kid there were few words I dreaded more than “The Mile.” Once a quarter our teachers would drag us out to the field and make us all run four laps around the track.

I hated The Mile for so many reasons. It hurt my legs, my lungs, and I’d get this crippling cramp in my side. And I was ALWAYS the last to finish, dragging myself across the finish line after the 15 minute mark. It was the worst.

I used to think there were two kinds of people in the world. Those who loved running and sports, and those who would be happy to never lace a pair of sneakers again. I was more than happy to spend the entirety of my life in the latter group, chilling on the sidelines cheering on the bizarrely energetic athletes.

Fast forward 20 years and I consider my workouts one of the most precious and essential parts of my day. I love lifting weights, maximizing my heart rate, and pushing myself to new physical limits.

What caused me to change teams? Did I just wake up one morning and decide to like the gym? Of course I would have loved that, but it isn’t what happened.

I knew working out was important for health and weight maintenance, and I had had varying degrees of success motivating myself to try. I got in better shape and stopped completely hating workouts, but that wasn’t enough to keep me consistent when I got really busy or the winter got the better of me.

The most powerful motivator I’ve found to help me overcome my own weaknesses and get me to the gym even when I don’t feel like it is my accountability partner. Since 2008 I’ve been working out with my friend and colleague, Adam, and at 34 I have never been in better shape.

Even though Adam is male and weighs at least 50% more than I do, we help motivate and inspire each other to get in the gym and push ourselves to new levels every week. Though it would be possible to workout without him, I go more often and push myself harder because someone is keeping an eye on me.

Behavioral psychologists have known for decades that accountability is one of the most powerful motivators for action. And I’m excited today to offer Summer Tomato readers access to one of the most powerful accountability tools I’ve ever come across for getting healthy.

Rise is a mobile app that connects you to your own private nutrition coach via your iPhone (Android coming soon). Their unique model allows you to photograph your meals and get specific, personalized feedback from your own Foodist Approved nutrition coach. No logging calories or entering specific foods from a generic database. It’s just a simple, easy-to-use interface that takes the guesswork out of eating.

I’ve worked with Rise to ensure that all the coaches are Foodist Approved, focusing on habits and health instead of carbs and calories. They are all Registered Dietitians as well, the gold standard in the industry.

Whether you’re looking to lose weight, train for a race, or just build healthier habits, your Rise coach will provide DAILY motivation, accountability and encouragement for you to reach your healthstyle goals. I have seen A TON of gimmicky health apps, and Rise is the only service I’ve found that offers a truly healthy and habit-based approach to nutrition.

Have questions? Email the Rise team at team@rise.us

Here’s how to get started:

  1. Go to www.rise.us/r/FOODIST (url is case sensitive)
  2. Click “Sign up”
  3. Pick your coach
  4. If you use the exclusive Foodist link you will receive $10 off your first month
  5. Start working with your coach

Happiness guaranteed:

I’m confident you’ll love Rise. But if you aren’t satisfied for any reason just let them know and they’ll refund your money. No questions asked.

Here’s what Rise members are saying:

Rise is not just helping me lose some weight (19 lbs so far) but it’s doing everything I needed to do to learn how to eat right for life, which is my primary concern. Service is great, the app keeps getting better, and my coach is awesome.” – Larry, 50, Minneapolis

I noticed a very big difference in the way that I ate after I started becoming accountable to Rise and my amazing nutritionist. I want all of my friends who are dieting in an unhealthy way to have the same kind of support that I do.” – Julia, 33, San Francisco

I continue to be very happy about my experience with Rise–I’m already down almost 20 pounds, love my coach and feel like I enjoy eating more than ever. I feel great!” – Chad, 34, San Francisco

I’ve become more mindful about what I eat, and it helps to have someone guiding me and holding me accountable. It’s this type of tool that can truly affect behavior change.” – Katie, 29, New Jersey

My goal at Summer Tomato is to make upgrading your healthstyle as fun and easy as possible. Rise is a powerful resource for anyone looking to improve their eating, and I hope you find it useful in your journey.

Are you a RD who would like to be a coach at Rise? Email team@rise.us for more info.

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