Go to Health podcast: How to get motivated for your 2018 goals

There are always tough points when making a change, so how do you get through them? Photo / File

In this summer podcast series, the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast tackles a different health issue each week. Today, it's how to stay motivated when you're trying to make a positive change. Hosted by Frances Cook.

If you're trying to make a big change, it's common to start out with a hiss and a roar.

Only to have it all fall apart a couple of weeks later, when you run out of puff and motivation.

It's a dispiriting cycle that happens to many of us, and if it happens too often you could be forgiven for giving up on trying at all.

After all, what's the point of putting yourself through the wringer trying to change, when you know it will all disappear after only a few weeks of effort?

But while giving up is a totally human response, it's grabbing at the wrong end of the stick.

The trick is finding ways to keep yourself motivated through the inevitable hard parts of making a change. To pick one thing at a time, and stick with it long enough to make it a habit.

I called Makaia Carr, founder of Motivate Me and host of online talk show Chick Chat, to ask her about how exactly do we do that.

We talked about how you get the energy to get started, how to keep going when it inevitably becomes difficult, and the importance of not beating yourself up for any rough patches.

For the interview, listen to the podcast.

If you have any questions about this episode, or something you'd like me to look into for next time, get in touch. I'm on Facebook here, and Twitter here.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Go to Health podcast, on either Apple podcasts or iHeart Radio.