Motivating yourself to exercise?

Take pictures every month! That is enough motivation right there!!!!

Besides that, I always feel amazing after a good sweat session!

I enjoy JM 30 day shred. It is only 25 minutes, so its usually not too hard to convince myself to work out for just 25 minutes. However, usually I find that once I get up and movin' I typically dont mind working out for longer, so I normally do the elliptical for around 15-20 minutes after that.

doing it initially is hard especially if out of shape. I hated it at first but kept at it because everyone says do it for 30 days and it becomes a habit I think. I did it for 30 days and its true....I am addicted. I workout 5-6 times a week and have done so for almost 2.5 years now. Also after the first 30 days the results alone kept me motivated and the exercise helps to combat stress. The more you do it the more you will love it!

I enjoy JM 30 day shred. It is only 25 minutes, so its usually not too hard to convince myself to work out for just 25 minutes. However, usually I find that once I get up and movin' I typically dont mind working out for longer, so I normally do the elliptical for around 15-20 minutes after that.

Yep. This exactly.

Find one of the fitness challenges her on MFP. Honestly, if I wasn't doing the 100 mile challenge here, I would be slacking off.

I love the way I feel after I exercise! I feel like I have accomplised a lot, and actually have an increase in energy! I started out with 20 -30 minutes of walking a few times a week, and doing zumba - low impact. Now I walk 3 -4 miles in an hour and my zumba is high impact. I feel so much better after I exercise, and it takes my mind off eating if I am bored (That's when I tend to over eat). Start slow and work your way up - don't try to do too much at once and you will feel more motivated each time.

I just remember how bad I feel about myself when I don't go and how it kind of sets the "tone" for my whole day-good or bad. If I miss it I don't have as many calories to play with and I lack energy throughout the day. Also, it seems like once I have skipped a day it's harder to go back so I just try and remember how happy I will be once I'm done for the day.

I put on my headphones and make sure I have some really upbeat music to run to or whatever. If you have a TV you can just distract yourself from the machine with whatever's on or better yet go outside and appreciate the fresh air and your surroundings.

Get yourself into a routine that you know is realistic for your week. If your not a morning person just do it at night. Or any time of day as long as you get it in. It gets easier to do because you start feeling so good about yourself and you can see the physical changes.

You can also give yourself rewards for going to keep you motivated! Good luck!

Find something you enjoy doing. I used to hate exercising until I joined a boxing gym and do boxing fitness classes, it's so much fun and such a good workout. I tend to miss it when I can't go. Just experiment until you find something you enjoy
Hope this helps

My motivation is the money I am spending, I barely have it and signed a year contract, if I do not go I may as well put $70 in the shredder every month. This addiction everyone talks about I cannot find 5 months in, I still hate it but I am monetarily commited so there you go. Not inspirational but it works for me.

All great answers.

One thing that motivates me is I know I get to eat more on days when I exercise. I stick strictly to the amount of calories MFP says I'm allowed to eat, so when I exercise, I'm rewarded with a treat.

To make exercise enjoyable, I run around a beautiful lake near my house, or I stick my iPad on my elliptical machine and watch TV shows or other videos.

I was in the exact same position you are in about 3 weeks ago. Checks out my profile for my commitments to exercise. I am now on week 3.5 and I've gotta tell you, I am really starting to look forward to my nightly walk/ runs. Tonight I went running in my neighborhood ALONE (no dogs and no child) and it was so nice to finally let go, relax and push myself. You just have to commit to yourself.

My main reason is that I reached my goal weight and still did not like the person I saw in the mirror. I knew that exercise was the only thing that was going to get me there. So, here I am. And I am really enjoying it.

I think of working out as my chance to "get away". I get to go brain dead and not think about anything. I look forward to it everyday now. I found the first 3 weeks really difficult but "they" say that it takes 3 weeks to make a habit. If you can push through those 3 weeks and work out consistently, you might find that it becomes part of your life and it won't be as hard. One thing that helped is that my good friend and I made a plan. We promised each other that we would complete the Couch to 5K and Podrunner First day to 5K. We got on the same schedule with it and started texting each other before and after our runs so we were held accountable. It helped a lot. Now we just do our workouts.

Finding an exercise activity or routine that you actually enjoy helps motivate you to actually do it. You will get to the point where you can't wait to do it. If exercise is always a chore, it is a heck of a lot harder to get yourself to do it. Find something you enjoy that gets your heart rate up and then try to do that as much as you can.

I also do it first thing in the morning.....I have a friend that I meet up with every morning, so I sort of have to go lol! It definitely helps to know she is waiting for me:) Its definitely tough since Im not a morning person, but sooo worth it once its done!

Don't wait to be motivated or you'll never do it.
Plan it into your schedule and get your workout gear on and just go! Like you would for a dentist appointment or pap smear - we don't want to do that either but we know we need to, so we do it.

awesome answer