Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Keeping Motivated

Women's Health Magazine had a great sideshow on steps to stay motivated. Here are some of my favorite from that article, which can be found in its entirety here.

1. Make a promise-
Signing up to run for a good cause is a great step to staying motivated. Besides having the donations of family and friends riding on your performance, it will allow you to set goals for a great cause, enjoy working for that cause with others, and give you something to train for.

2. Get your pets moving-
If you're thinking about investing in a pet, or have a slightly physically neglected one, take him out! No better excuse to get out and moving than for the want of your fuzzy friend!

3. Yellow polka-dot bikini-
Get your favorite skinny outfit out and hang it in a well visible location. Keeping your skinny jeans out is just the visible cue you need to get to the gym again.

4. Buy into a workout plan-
Splurging a bit to get into that yoga or spinning class may not be exactly how you want to spend you're pay check, but investing a little into your workout routine has been proven to keep you showing up. For my college readers on a real budget, try splurging in smaller amounts, a medicine ball kept by the TV to remind you while you're watching you could be multi-tasking!

5. Face your body-
The more you accept yourself, the most likely you are to keep your figure up. Take small steps daily to enjoy your skin, be it lounging around for the night naked, getting a massage, or feeling the accepting hands of a significant other or friend cuddling. Begin to appreciate yourself more and you'll find you're more invested in keeping things up.