What keeps you motivated?

nancy1983

I have a really hard time staying motivated. I track and exercise regularly for 2-3 weeks and then fall off the wagon for 1-2 weeks and get back in and off. You get the picture....
Lack of support at home doesn't help i guess....How do you get past it? What keeps you motivated?

BombshellPhoenix

Myself. I have zero support other than the drive to do right by me. That my life isn't eternal and each day spent bettering myself even in small ways is an effort well spent. Trust yourself and the process and don't give in.

PrizePopple

I have some clothes I've been hoarding for nearly a decade that I want to wear again. Also DH's 20 year reunion is next year, and I'd kinda like to go and look good since those are the people who voted him most likely to stay single for the rest of his life (he's not even bitter about it, but I sure as hell am - enough for him and myself).

mundaycarroll

I want to get down to the size I was at my wedding, which I'm only 3 lbs away from it. But to keep reminding myself of my ultimate goal I use a wallet size wedding pic as my book mark for the current book I am reading. I read all the time so I constantly see that pic and that reminds me of what I want to look like and what my goal is.

denise31992

Progress pictures. I know that might seem vain, but they are the ones that show my progress since I decided to make changes.

JoRocka

nothing.

motivation is a farce.

it's an empty promise- it's roses- that wither and die.

Your mistake- which you are realizing is relying on motivbation to keep you going- you can't- it is not a question of IF it fails- but WHEN.

Make it the thing you do- there are no exceptions- there are no emotions.
Monday is gym day.
So no matter how tired- how busy how anything I am- when I leave at 730 Am- my bag is in the car- and I WILL go to the gym at 5 PM.

Not "IF I FEEL LIKE IT"

Just pack your back- make an "appointment" and go do it.

Do you stay motivated to brush your teeth?
pick your kids up?
eat food?
do the dishes?
do the laundry?

of course not- but you do them- because they need doing.

Doing things- gets things done.

littleburgy

For me it's not motivation. It's habit. Some days I don't feel like working out or I want to eat enough food for two people. But the bottom line is that I have to make the conscious decision to maintain these habits more or less daily if I want to remain the weight I am at. If I did whatever I felt like or felt motivated about, I'd be at a heavier weight that I don't want to be at. More or less, conscious decisions and habits = weight.

nineteentwenty

Stripping in front of a mirror, looking at myself, and jumping up and down. Ouch. It's eye-opening. The jiggle does not lie.

zanne54

Having multiple goals.

Burn 500 calories a day with exercise.

Stay in my calories for the day.

Stay in my calories for the week.

Joining challenges - here, Endomondo, other websites, real life.

Signing up for sporting events - running a 5K, 10K, or anything you have to train for & which has a set date.

Setting "lbs lost by date" goals.

Seeing the results on the scale, in the mirror, in my clothes.

Putting $40 every pay into a jar for a new wardrobe when I hit goal weight.

Knowing the better I stay on track, the sooner the weight loss portion will be over, and then I can move into maintenance, which should be easier as there will be a broader range of allowable calories.

Knowing that if I have a bad meal / bad day / bad week that I'm still ahead of where I was when I started, and to not let it derail me completely - just get back on that horse and try again.

Some or all of the above on any given day.

DannehBoyy

Nowadays i don't really feel motivated, i'm just that used to it now that i just do it lol

AlayshaJ

I don't really need motivation anymore but when I did it was to help fight off my depression.

RavenLibra

WEAR CLOTHES FROM 10 YEARS AGO? Ummm.. I take it you aren't a fashionista are you? Maybe... check the size of those old clothes... then go out and buy ONE outfit in that size... and toss the Old clothes... if nothing else.. you'll have room for NEW clothes when you get where you are headed

redheaddee

Other than my mirror?

Spending money on obstacle course races, such as the Spartan in October. That *kitten* ain't cheap.

Immab118

nothing.

motivation is a farce.

it's an empty promise- it's roses- that wither and die.

Your mistake- which you are realizing is relying on motivbation to keep you going- you can't- it is not a question of IF it fails- but WHEN.

Make it the thing you do- there are no exceptions- there are no emotions.
Monday is gym day.
So no matter how tired- how busy how anything I am- when I leave at 730 Am- my bag is in the car- and I WILL go to the gym at 5 PM.

Not "IF I FEEL LIKE IT"

Just pack your back- make an "appointment" and go do it.

Do you stay motivated to brush your teeth?
pick your kids up?
eat food?
do the dishes?
do the laundry?

of course not- but you do them- because they need doing.

Doing things- gets things done.

This!!!!

becs3578

My Results.... Getting results becomes addictive!

MizTerry

That I never ever want to go back to the way I was. I've entered a new era of my life and I want ot be ready for anything.

sunshine83777

Seeing my body change, results. :bigsmile: In order for that to happen... I been staying on it. I have to, it makes me feel awesome!

alpine1994

I struggled with this at the beginning before I realized that I needed to change my life. I was the laziest kid growing up so I avoided all activities where I had to exert energy. I also LOVE food (especially "bad" food) to the point where I just accepted the fact that I will be overweight and unhealthy my whole life. This made me sad, but I accepted it.

As I got to my mid-late 20s, I realized I didn't want this life anymore. I did some crazy fad diets (Atkins, Paleo, cutting out certain foods/food groups) and I always cracked a week or two later and ate all of that weight back along with a few extra lbs.

I VERY SLOWLY started changing my habits that I knew weren't good for me, such as eating 2 donuts for breakfast every day. I cut it down to 1 donut, and then a donut every other day, and then a donut once a week, etc. I have one around once a month now and enjoy the crap out of it!! That's what I did with everything else. Replaced soda with seltzer water. I learned how to cook so that I could cook healthy and delicious meals for myself and my bf (and he cooks healthy stuff too). I also introduced exercise in small amounts and tried lots of different things until I found what I liked. It took me 9 months to lose 30 lbs and reach my healthy goal weight, but I did it. A year and a half later, I am still in maintenance and enjoying my new life. A lot. You got this, you just have to realize that this is a big change. Do it slowly.

Snip8241

My motivation in the past has been other things. My motivation now is me. I want to look better and feel better.

I also agree that motivation gets you started but habits keep it going.

Weighing my food is habit...exercising is habit.

My support system here and the things I have learned have made a huge difference.

colors_fade

As one poster pointed out, motivation is a bit of a lie.

We can get around that by forming habits instead. Habits are more powerful than motivation. They are more powerful than willpower (which, like a muscle, fatigues when we try and exercise it 24/7)

I prefer to try and form a habit by being consistent, so that the habit just becomes regular part of my day/week, and I don't have to "stay motivated" to stay on track.

CatchyBlues

If I had a religion I'd call it nature or balance. Its taken me a few years (I'm in my late 20s) but I've realized that I'm happiest when I have an overall balance in my life.. I finally have a job/internship/work that I enjoying, I'm about to go on a 3rd date with a girl (she would be my second serious gf if we get to that point.. I never really dated when I was younger), I'm looking for new musicians to play with after not playing in a band for almost a year etc...

Being healthy is just another part of the balance factor. Eat what you want but exercise for it too.. that kind of thing. I gained up to 272lbs when I was in college and it was I didn't really have anything like this going on.

dawnmcneil10

I get asked this alot and I can't say I have a particular thing that keeps me going. I like how active and fit I have become and I continue to use and enjoy the extra energy getting healthy has given me.

You'll need to find the spark within yourself, my guess is that for that 2-3 weeks you're probably restricting yourself with your diet and maybe pushing yourself into exercise and then you start feeling like "is it worth it" or that you're just not seeing the numbers at the scale changing. My biggest advice is to ignore the scale focus on how you feel, get in regular movement/activity and eat foods that are not only good for you but taste good as well, you can't change overnight but you can wake up every day and make another slight adjustment that leads you to a healthier and happier you.

thuton

I have a workout partner who pushes me and keeps me motivated when I want to quit or eat bad. Best thing I have done! I also read alot of fitness magazines and healthy food blogs and that keeps me motivated along with visualizing how my new body will look with lots of pictures.

TiberiusClaudis

Af first one may simply want to change, to make a small transform. Lose 10 lbs say. Once you begin to see changes, you get excited, which makes you explore other paths to getting healthier, stronger, faster.

Diet, supplements, training variety...group activities, music selections..as in ones that you can work out to. Before you know it, it turns into a life style. You begin surrounding yourself with like mind people. Instead of going out drinking on Friday nights, you meet people early on Saturday mornings to go run with.

You book vacations that include swimming with sharks, jumping off waterfalls, black water rafting...why...simply because you can. Your body has now exceeded anyone you know and you can lift things or run father than you thought were possible for just about anyone..let alone you.

You have now totally transformed, you have become more than what you ever dreamed possible...and to think its even possible that you'd wake from the dream and become simply "normal" again, scares the S&*T out of you.

Ya..that's what motivates me

ell_23

To be totally honest, when I feel like I'm losing motivation, I look at the scales to see how little I weigh compared to before, remind myself of what I used to be and how I used to look, then look at Instagram fitness accounts of super hot slim women. To make it realistic, I have a couple acquaintance friends who I follow who are exactly my height at 5 foot 3 (so kinda short) and have amazing "model" bodies…so it gives me hope I could one day look like that myself.. or I could give it a good go.

So… a little embarrassing but basically Instagram motivates me when I'm feeling down haha. (But originally my inspiration was an long standing desire to be slim like my friends…and to be considered the fit, toned, thin friend).

rknapp15217

I'm a student interested learning more about the psychology of what motivates people during exercise. Please help my research by taking my survey and I'll post the results.

I used Google docs to create a survey form. Below is the link:

www.docs.google.com/forms/d/1gCNPbbs3FG6cuj2bqYPu1U63NY3-G-oS8CSYHallsUk/viewform?usp=send_form

Cookie_4

nothing.

motivation is a farce.

it's an empty promise- it's roses- that wither and die.

Your mistake- which you are realizing is relying on motivbation to keep you going- you can't- it is not a question of IF it fails- but WHEN.

Make it the thing you do- there are no exceptions- there are no emotions.
Monday is gym day.
So no matter how tired- how busy how anything I am- when I leave at 730 Am- my bag is in the car- and I WILL go to the gym at 5 PM.

Not "IF I FEEL LIKE IT"

Just pack your back- make an "appointment" and go do it.

Do you stay motivated to brush your teeth?
pick your kids up?
eat food?
do the dishes?
do the laundry?

of course not- but you do them- because they need doing.

Doing things- gets things done.

I need to remember this!

PrizePopple

WEAR CLOTHES FROM 10 YEARS AGO? Ummm.. I take it you aren't a fashionista are you? Maybe... check the size of those old clothes... then go out and buy ONE outfit in that size... and toss the Old clothes... if nothing else.. you'll have room for NEW clothes when you get where you are headed

Nope, because jeans styles today are pure crap. Also, I like my Pound Puppies shirt, Thankyouverymuch.

benefiting

nothing.

motivation is a farce.

it's an empty promise- it's roses- that wither and die.

Your mistake- which you are realizing is relying on motivbation to keep you going- you can't- it is not a question of IF it fails- but WHEN.

Make it the thing you do- there are no exceptions- there are no emotions.
Monday is gym day.
So no matter how tired- how busy how anything I am- when I leave at 730 Am- my bag is in the car- and I WILL go to the gym at 5 PM.

Not "IF I FEEL LIKE IT"

Just pack your back- make an "appointment" and go do it.

Do you stay motivated to brush your teeth?
pick your kids up?
eat food?
do the dishes?
do the laundry?

of course not- but you do them- because they need doing.

Doing things- gets things done.

Word! Seriously, some days you may just not feel "motivated" to do anything but you still have to get up off your butt and go do it. Otherwise, you will just keep making excuses of "oh, I don't feel like it" or "I don't feel motivated". Some days I don't but lately I've pushed myself to do something almost everyday this month! You can do it. You just need to apply yourself and get in the right mindset!

pander101

Not really anything anymore. Just got tired of being fat. Knew my habits needed to change and now it's just part of my routine.

TLIVIGNSTON

summer is around the corner. and heavy metal.. keeps me really motivated.