We all have our weaknesses, we all lose motivation in almost everything we set to accomplish, let’s face it that’s just part of life. And staying healthy and fit are a couple of things we have a hard time with when it comes to staying motivated. So I’m going to list some ways on how to stay motivated so you can reach your goals. Here they are.

1. Why do you want to be fit? You need to ask yourself this everyday, every time you work out, every time you don’t want to work out. What is the purpose of wanting to get in shape? It falls along the line of goal setting, whether it’s personal, health reasons, personal challenge, friends challenge, whatever the reason may be, determine why you are doing it and start as soon as possible. Don’t have the attitude of I’ll start next week or I’ll start fresh next month, start now because you will see the results faster.
2. Set Short Term Goals. Transforming your body and attitude is not a one day task, not even a one week task. Be realistic with your goals like losing one pound a week or a few pounds every two weeks. Just know that you have to be patient in reaching your goal(s). There’s a saying, “a journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.” Go with that and let the journey begin.
3. Start Slow. If you are just starting an exercise regimen, I do recommend starting out slow. You will not want to come back into the gym the next day after a hardcore workout because every muscle in your body is stiff and sore. Use the first 2 weeks as a test to see what your body can handle then gradually increase the intensity weekly. This way your body will get the feel of what you are preparing it to do. Plus you won’t be so sore that you can’t get out of bed.
4. Take before Pictures. Take current pictures of yourself and post them around where you will see them. This is a great way to remind yourself that this is what you look like and also what you don’t want to look like. This technique works for many people and who knows maybe you will be on tv some day saying, “this is what I used to look like and this is what I look like today.”
5. Use the Buddy System. Find a friend or relative that has the same goal as you and as dedicated as you. Some external motivation goes a long way especially when you have weaknesses. Workout out with someone that’s going to push you pass your limits and at the same time know your limits. There’s nothing better when you lack the motivation to train and you will and receive a phone call that says, “be at the gym at 3.” Now you have to go because you know that your buddy will be there and if you pass up then he or she has a head start on you. So find a workout buddy and motivate each other.
6. Compare Yourself To Someone You Want To Look Like.  Most might disagree with me on this one because everyone should be an individual. But I think it’s ok to pick someone out of a magazine, tv, or at the gym and say, “I want to look like that.”  You have an image in your head of what you want to look like but to see the image of what you can look like is totally different. If it’s someone from the gym, you can ask them what they do to look like that, and I’m sure they will be very grateful and share some of their secrets. Who knows maybe they will let you workout with them sometime. Don’t be afraid to compare yourself to others when it’s in the right content.
7. Set Long Term Goals. With short term goals, comes long term goals, you would like to reach that goal in the long run. This is why you are doing what you are doing. Short term goals are improvements along the way to the ultimate goal. Decide how much weight you want to lose or gain and work towards that GRAND PRIZE.
8. Hire A Personal Trainer. If you can afford a personal trainer then by all means invest in one. But choose wisely because I think personal trainers have different training philosophies. You have to find a trainer that understands what you want and not what they want or what they think you want, open minded, knows your limitations, knows your strengths, educated in nutrition as well as training. A trainer that’s committed to help you reach your goal(s) and at the same time educate you so you don’t have to be so dependant on them all the time. Because there will be times when you are scheduled to train with them and something has come up and they can’t make it. Work with a trainer that you feel comfortable with and knows how to motivate you. I’m a trainer’s that likes to use different training modalities to make it fun and effective, so every week it’s something a little different.
9. Gimme A Break. It’s always a good idea to take a little break from training every 8-12 weeks and let your body and mind recover. Just relax for a week, go to the beach, sporting event, a show, your favorite restaurant, and if you want to participate in something active then find something that you really enjoy. Whether it’s a favorite sport, activity, whatever it maybe, try not to think about training until you get back into the gym. This will help prevent burnouts, overtraining, and plateaus, so take a break and just chill.
10. Bring The Beat. Do you ever feel uncomfortable when the room you’re in is quiet? That’s how I feel when I’m at the gym without music blasting from the speakers, sure there are other people there and weights clanging but it’s still not the same without music to workout to. Studies have found that music changes a person’s attitude. I know when the right beat of a song comes on, my workout is more efficient, I feel more energized, and my routine flows, I know what my next exercise is going to be. So bring your mp3 and listen to your favorite music so you can bust it out for 2 hours.
11. Change Your Routine. Change is always good, change helps us to progress, that’s why children change grade levels every year. It’s the same for fitness or anything else for that matter. When it comes to fitness, your body will adapt to a routine after 8 weeks and that’s pretty long. It’s different for each individual, especially someone that’s just starting because there body isn’t used to being active so they continue to progress even after 8 weeks. Each person will know when they need to change their workout routine, their body will give them signs. Some signs are not getting stronger, not gaining weight or losing weight, unmotivated, and feeling of just going through the motion. When this happens, you can change just by reordering your exercises, incorporate drop sets, supersets, giant sets, circuit training, pretty much any type of change that your body is not used to, will get you out of the rut.
12. Positive Imaging. It works, it really works, I used it myself and still today. Positive imaging is when you picture yourself lifting the heavy weight, gaining the muscles, losing the weight, winning a competition, whatever it may be. Positive imaging is seeing yourself succeed, athletes of all levels use it, they picture themselves in their head how they’re going to play the game, how they move, how their opponent moves, it’s pretty much practicing in your mind. I used to play competitive racquetball and for some reason I wasn’t hitting the ball the way I wanted to or moving in the court the way I used to. So I started to do positive imaging 3 times a week for 15-20 min. each time. Imaging how I hit the ball, where I want the ball to go, where I want my opponent to move by controlling the ball, where I want to be when he moves, how the court felt, the sound of the ball being hit, I would picture everything in the court, I would be in control. My game improved drastically through positive imaging. Try it for yourself and see if it works.
13. Reward Yourself. People get rewarded for the good things they do, even animals get rewarded. Reward yourself when you have reached a short term goal or just by following your plan for the week. You deserve it, you stuck with it, so do something for yourself. Go buy some new shoes, get a new workout gear, get some new supplements, just don’t do anything you might regret.
14. Do It For Fun. If you don’t enjoy or have fun in what you do then chances are you probably won’t keep it up for too long and that goes the same for fitness. You have to make exercise fun, make friends at the gym, just don’t bother them when they’re in the middle of a set. When you have friends at the gym, exercise can be fun. They can help motivate you when you need it and vice versa, you can crack insults at each other or compete with each other to make working out fun.
15. Do It For Yourself. This is your body, you are the one who decided to make the change, to be healthier and to be more fit. You’re the shot caller in this journey to reshape your body. Do it for yourself because you want to, not because someone else did. Believe me it’s more rewarding when you do it for yourself, you feel that self accomplishment, you have achieved what you thought you could never do. You have set your own goals, you worked out with your buddy, hired a trainer, you made it fun so you wouldn’t get bored with the same routine. You went through a tough obstacle and yet you are here with both hands in the air with all your glory. You have claimed your GRAND PRIZE, the prize of self accomplishment. Only you know what it feels like because you DID IT FOR YOURSELF.