Leo Babauta is an awesome athlete and motivation for me. Here are 31 ways that he uses to stay motivated physically:
31 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise
“80 percent of
success is showing up.” – Woody Allen
How do you find
motivation to exercise when you just don’t feel like getting off your butt? I
ask myself this question every now and then, and I have the feeling I’m not the
only one.
A few weeks
ago, I wrote 4
Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit … and the fourth and final step was to
add motivation as needed until the habit sticks. This post is to help you with
that fourth step.
There are a
million ways to motivate yourself to exercise, actually, but these are a few
that have worked for me. And trust me, I’ve had days when I’ve struggled with
exercise. Most recently, the things that have helped include finding a workout partner
(one of the best motivators!), logging my exercise, reading magazines, books
and websites, and rewarding myself.
- How you
feel after a workout. I always feel great after a good workout. It’s a
high. And I let that motivate me the next time: “You know how good you’re
going to feel, Leo!”
- Time for
you. While
many people make time to take care of others (kids, spouse, other family,
co-workers, boss), they don’t often make time to take care of themselves.
Instead, make your “you” time a priority, and don’t miss that exercise
appointment.
- Calories
burned. If you
count calories (and it’s really one of the most effective ways to lose
weight), you know that the more you exercise, the more calories you burn —
and the bigger your calorie deficit.
- Having fun. Exercise
should be fun. If it isn’t, try a different kind of activity that you
enjoy. As long as you’re moving, it’s good for you.
- How you’re
going to look. Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that
visualization drive you.
- Magazines. It
motivates me to read fitness magazines. Not sure why, but it works.
- Cover
models. Sure,
they’re genetically freaky, and probably Photoshopped to look perfect. But
for some reason, looking at how good a cover model looks helps motivate me
to work harder.
- Blogs. I enjoy
reading blogs about people who are into running, or losing weight. It can
show the ups and downs they go through, and you can learn from their
experiences.
- Success
stories. I find
the success stories of others incredibly inspirational. If a fitness
website has success stories, I’ll almost always read them.
- Forums. Do the
monthly challenge on the Zen Habits forums, or join another forum full of
like-minded or like-goaled peopled. Check in daily. It really helps.
- Rewards. If you
exercise for a few days, give yourself a reward! A week? Another reward.
Do it often in the beginning.
- Fitting
into new clothes. Wanna look good in a smaller size? Work out!
- Being
attractive. That’s always a good motivator, as I’m sure we all
know. Edited to correct language.
- Adrenaline
rush. I get a
rush when I exercise. Ride that rush to complete the workout.
- Stress
relief. Wound up
after a long day at the office? Get out and work off that stress. It makes
a world of difference.
- Time for
contemplation. I love, love the quiet time of exercise for
thinking about things. Most of this post was written in my head as I
exercised.
- A workout
partner. Best
thing I’ve done.
- An
exercise class. Sign up for a class, perhaps with a friend, and
you’ll be motivated to get there and work out.
- A coach or
trainer. Worth
the money, just for the motivation.
- An
exercise log/graph. For some reason, writing it down is extremely
important. Really. Do it for a week and you’ll see what I mean.
- Your
before picture. You often don’t realize how far you’ve come. Take
pictures.
- A 5K race
or triathlon. Just sign up for one, and you’ll be motivated to
train.
- The dread
of feeling “yuck” from not exercising. I hate how I feel after not
exercising. So I remind myself of that when I feel tired.
- Living
long enough to see your grandkids … and play with them.
- The scale. It’s not
motivating to weigh yourself every day, as your weight fluctuates. But if
you weigh yourself once a week, you’ll be motivated to have it keep going
down, instead of up. Combine the scale with the measuring tape, and
measure your waist.
- Reaching a
goal. Set a
goal for weight, or your waist measurement, or a number of days to work
out, or a number of miles to run this week. Setting and tracking a goal
helps motivate you to complete that goal. Make it easily achievable.
- Posting it
on your blog. Tell people you’re going to lose weight or
exercise daily, and report to them. You’ll make it happen.
- Motivational
quotes. I like
to print them out or put them on my computer desktop.
- Books. I just
bought a strength-training book as a reward. It makes me want to hit the
weights!
- Others
commenting on how good you look. When someone notices the changes in your body, it
feels good. And it makes you want to work out more.
- An
upcoming day at the beach, or a reunion. Nuff said.
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