Ten Ways to boost your Motivation

I wrote this article for my church's website and thought I'd cross post here.

Top Ten Ways to Boost your Motivation

Written by Kim Ogorek

The Link - Spring 2008

Having a hard time staying motivated to exercise? Check out these tips!

1. GOALS

Set goals for yourself: both long term and short term. When you reach a short-term goal, you should reward yourself with something; but not food.

2. HIT THE ROAD JACK!

Sign up for a race. Before you protest too much, races are fun and non competitive. People of all abilities and levels participate in races. Choose a 5K that’s three months away and send in the entry fee. If running or walking is not your thing, check out cycling or swimming races.

3. THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM.

Studies show that people who exercise early in the morning stick with it more than people who exercise at different times of the day. It might have something to do with the fact that there usually aren’t too many conflicts in your schedule at 6:00 a.m. If you wait until later in the day, you might not get to it. Lay your clothes out the night before, set your alarm, heed your alarm. And enjoy the whole rest of your day knowing that you did something great for your body.

4. LET’S MAKE A DEAL!

Ok, now this one is going to sound weird, but sometimes I have to make a deal with myself in order to get some exercise in. If I REALLY don’t feel exercising, I tell myself something like this. "Self, I don’t really want to do this today. So, how about we just walk instead of run?" Or something like this: "Self, if you just run to the end of this block, you can be done." And almost every time, I end up doing more than I thought I would. Just getting out there and getting started is enough to get me going.

5. LOG IT

Keep a workout log. There are a lot of websites that help you track your workouts. Just seeing it in print helps me to go back and see my progress. Plus, I HATE to see lots of blanks in my logs.

6. BECOME A KID AGAIN

Workouts don’t always have to be "official". If I don’t feel like running or I can’t get to it, I need to get creative. For those of us who have kids, just playing tag or Red Rover in the backyard can be exercise. If you don’t have kids, borrow some from the neighborhood. OR You can make a game out of doing the housework. How quickly can you run up and down the stairs while doing laundry? OR How far away can I park? It’s not good to ALWAYS do your workouts this way, but it’s OK every once in awhile.

7. VISUALIZE IT

Find an inspirational quote and place it on your computer. Or, see if you can find a picture of an athlete that inspires you. Visual cues like this can really increase motivation.

8. BECOME A "MODEL" OF FITNESS

Call the fashion police! If you’re still in any ONE of the following items it may be time to rethink your wardrobe: 1.black socks 2. baggy sweatpants. 3. leg warmers Don’t do it! Get yourself some high quality technical clothing and the right shoes. Now, before you start thinking that I am WAY too high maintenance, think this through. If you dress in good exercise gear, you feel better while you’re exercising and therefore you are more likely to stick with it, not to mention the fact that good shoes are a must to safeguard your feet. Make sense? Now, get shopping!

9. LOSE THE EXCUSES

We’ve all made excuses not to work out from time to time. What about this one? "I’m already in shape. Round is a shape."

Think of what you commonly use as an excuse, and then come up with a good answer for it. For example, if your excuse is that you don’t have time, then rework your schedule. It could be that you are too busy. Work through your objections and find what will work for you to get out the door.

And the # 10 way to stay motivated is.....

10. FLIP THE SWITCH

Get creative! Do something different. If you’ve always been a runner, then start cycling. If you’ve always used free weights, then try machines. Mix it up! Try kickboxing! Go crazy!

Whatever you do, don’t give up. If you feel your motivation lacking, give one of these tips a try. What have you got to lose?