What keeps you motivated?

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13

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  • wbgolden
    wbgolden Posts: 2,071 Member
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    i have been strength training for four months and the changes that i see in my body keep me so motivated. i am 39 and i see muscles in places that i have never seen in my life.
    this
    what has kept me motivated is having things like races and competitions to be prepared for. there is something about having a specific time and date to be physically prepared for. and you focus more on speed and strength, not just weight and being ready for bikini season.
    and that.

    i have the best mfp friends, btw :)
  • Miss_Chievous_wechange
    Miss_Chievous_wechange Posts: 1,230 Member
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    < -- wanting to improve this keeps me motivated! :wink:
  • shannoncuth
    shannoncuth Posts: 19
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    my kids and my hubby and looking at myself
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    I want to be super fit and ripped. There are certain things I need to do to get there. So I do those things.
  • kacbldmm07
    kacbldmm07 Posts: 96
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    my old pictures, and the mirror.... oh and my Bikini!
  • MonkeyFlower
    MonkeyFlower Posts: 92 Member
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    if ive gotten into a slump i find it so hard to get motivated again but if I can suck it up and make myself exercise and/or eat healthly two days in a row im back to finding it ok again!!

    also have made some really amazingly fit/gorgeous/inspirational friends on here and i feel so guilty when im being slack and i log on and they're working their butts off!! :happy:
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    i should add that most races can be prepared for in six months or less. so find something that is in september or october, and pay for it now. mark it on your calander, and tell everyone you're doing it.

    i mean, lets not go crazy and try and enter the new york city marathon, but a nice mud run (warrior dash, spartan race), or a sprint triathlon, or just a regular 5k or 10k or half-marathon are completely within the reach of so many people.
  • noreenkelly
    noreenkelly Posts: 1
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    @jrm76 - exactly! I am an older parent of a 16 year old and want to be there for all of her life's firsts - well, at least the major milestones! LOL I am new to mfp, but, aside from my daughter, I have seen my old sister's health decline due to bad habits - not drugs, alcohol, or smoking - just lifestyle choices. The future staring me right in the face!
  • Suzieqgirl
    Suzieqgirl Posts: 39 Member
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    I am the same way. If I get off program I go crazy with all these cravings. I think my biggest problem is to not eat bread and sugar that helps trigger these cravings.

    What keeps me motivated is: I'm tired of not having any energy! Tired of the back, leg and knee pain from carrying all this weight around! Tired of just not feeling good anymore. I want to feel good again and be able to exercise like everyone else. That is my motivation.

    Hang in there, you are not alone!
  • genuinelyfrans
    genuinelyfrans Posts: 584
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    I always remind myself why I am doing this: to achieve the body I have always wanted. I was tired of felling uncomfortable in my own skin and regretting making so many excuses as to why I could not exercise. I want to be that guy that can walk into a room and feel confident about his appearance.
  • LuckBeWithU
    LuckBeWithU Posts: 173 Member
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    All the MFP Friend support,
    exercise that is giving me a rush
    and just seeing results everyday.
  • bushidowoman
    bushidowoman Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I want to look good and be healthy, sure, but I have other motivations for working out. I do something I am passionate about, and I have non-weight-related goals I am trying to reach. It's those other goals that make me get up and keep going when I'm not doing so well in another area (like keeping sweets or processed stuff in check.) I may get off track for awhile, but I *have* to get back on eventually.
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
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    fitting into smaller sizes...
    the mirror...
    and that I want to look awesomly HOT to my bf , even tho he likes and loves me no matter what!

    (i know awesomly is not a word lol , but its the only thing that came to mind! )
  • MMarvelous
    MMarvelous Posts: 1,067 Member
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    The MFP challenges I do. The support and encouragement of MFP. The forum's countless posts from people who have the same questions or vary similar and others who share information or actions for improvement.
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
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    i have been strength training for four months and the changes that i see in my body keep me so motivated. i am 39 and i see muscles in places that i have never seen in my life.
    this
    what has kept me motivated is having things like races and competitions to be prepared for. there is something about having a specific time and date to be physically prepared for. and you focus more on speed and strength, not just weight and being ready for bikini season.
    and that.

    i have the best mfp friends, btw :)

    The bestest! :-)



    I fuel my workouts with reminders that I'm the one living in this body, so it had better keep up with me.
    I check out what my friends are doing and think "I could do that!"
    I take any NSV I can get.
    Work out first, eat after. Pay yourself with good food for working out. Don't eat junk and then punish yourself with exercise. You will end up feeling guilty and resenting the workout, when really it should be something to look forward to.
    I'm looking forward to having amazing "intimacy" with my husband when we are old. Can't do that if I trash my body now.
  • likescoffee
    likescoffee Posts: 6 Member
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    I've only been successful for a month, but I'm pretty happy with my progress. I do what previous people have mentioned: wanting to be active and enjoy life more, knowing that time is precious, wanting greater intimacy, reading success stories on MFP, and creating habits.

    What is really helping me is the habits! I keep a cycle of working out at least two days in a row followed by one day rest. I mark how I exercise on a calendar so I can visually see my habit forming. There were days when my knees would hurt, so I would walk instead of run. (I always think of the show Serenity:
    Tracey: When you can't run anymore, you crawl... and when you can't do that --
    Zoë: You find someone to carry you.)
    I also ran with a friend sometimes--we definitely benefitted from encouraging each other. I had gotten the idea from a friend who had said she and her sister had used the idea of making exercising a habit. She said to exercise for at least three weeks, and use that as the spark for the end goal which is to end up making it a routine, where you crave exercising. One friend said that habits take 6 months to form. Every time you keep up with your pattern you're creating a sturdier foundation for a habit. If I missed a day(s) I just tried to do what I could the next day. I applied that technique to other things like counting calories on here. I didn't want to miss a day. And, having a bunch of days where you've kept track makes you want to continue having that progress. Eventually I saw some results, and that helped motivate me to keep this up. Also, if I felt mentally tired, I would use that to my advantage and exercise my body instead, and vice versa. I also am trying to have faith in myself.

    And, I like the idea of having fitness events like marathons in the future to work hard for. Holy mama this is long--well, I hope this helps : )!
  • lr8812
    lr8812 Posts: 111
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    while losing weight i always thought about how good i would look in the end.

    now i just look back at my old pics and know i can never let myself go again.
  • NinjaChickie
    NinjaChickie Posts: 118 Member
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    I constantly need to find new motivation.
    I just saw a video of me crossing the finish line of a 10km race I did on Sunday. I look huge, so thats enough motivation to keep me going for a while.
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
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    1. That little black dress I wore on my first date with my husband. I want to get back into it some day.
    2. Not being fat the next time I see my Mom.
    3. Being physically able to keep up with my 5 year old.
    4. Being able to walk. I had knee surgery and the more I weigh, the harder it is on my knees.
    5. Being able to walk the stairs to my bedroom without tears forming in my eyes from pain.
    6. Looking sexy for my husband again.
    7. Feeling better about myself so I feel like making friends again.
    8. The mirror!
    9. Buying smaller clothes!
    10. Turning heads again. ;-)
  • ElementalEscapee
    ElementalEscapee Posts: 552 Member
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    The image in the mirror should be enough to make me do a 180 but my love of food overrules and I struggle with that every.single.day :/

    Same, except usually I go 180 too far :P

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