There comes a time when most of us decide we want to forge a new path, go in search of health and wellness, have more energy, or possibly look like a magazine cover we saw. Whatever your reason, getting the initial motivation is pretty easy.

There comes a time when most of us decide we want to forge a new path, go in search of health and wellness, have more energy, or possibly look like a magazine cover we saw. Whatever your reason, getting the initial motivation is pretty easy.  The tricky part is maintaining the motivation once you realize how time consuming and how much effort goes into achieving wellness, the perfect body or just more energy.

I have always enjoyed the late night talk show Top Ten Lists so I will share with you what I consider to be the “Top 10 Reasons to do Exercise”.  As you read this list, try to stop and think about each point instead of just glossing over it. Really think about how to stay motivated to exercise and diet, think about your personal motivation for physical wellness.

We all know that exercise can be pure magic for the mind, body and soul. But how do you go from a sporadic, on again, off again exerciser to someone for whom exercise is a lifelong habit, as natural and necessary as going to work and eating regular meals?  The best place to start is your local office supply store.  Huh? You will need a journal to keep an account of your goals, photos, workouts and much more.

Here are 10 motivational tactics to keep you motivated from someone who has been in this business for over 22 years and has been through the ups and downs of fervently wanting to workout as well as having to drag herself back to the gym after a few months long hiatus. 

1. The first thing to do is to ask yourself: Why are you exercising? Why do you want to take your time and energy and dedicate it to fitness? Are you trying to get in shape for an upcoming event? Do you want to lose weight, sleep better, increase your energy, gain strength, add muscle tone and flexibility, or just feel a heightened sense of well being?  Once you have your reason(s), write them down, keep a journal so that you can add to it or just go back and remind yourself from time to time why you are putting gyourself through it.

2. Set goals. Set both a short term goal, to achieve in three to six weeks, and a long term goal, to achieve over the course of a year. These are so important to your success.  You need to have a benchmark for which you are striving.  Typically your goals will be tied to your reasons for working out so list these in your journal as well.  Make sure your goals are achievable enough that they are not discouraging, but high enough that you have an incentive to tie your workout shoes each day. It is also important that your goals are specific and directly related to your specific motivation for exercising. For example, I will look like a supermodel in 90 days is possibly not realistic no matter how many photos you tape to your refrigerator but I will lose 24 pounds in 90 days might be (2 pounds per week for 12 weeks).

4. Take photos of yourself each month in your workout gear so you have a visual record of your results.  Keep these in your journal as well.

5. Make sure you are using proper technique. You want to avoid injury, above all, so check with a doctor or trainer if you experience any pain, or if you are not sure whether you are doing a particular exercise correctly. Injury is a sure fire way to lose motivation!

6. If you have a friend who also enjoys working out, enlist their support hold you accountable for those daily workouts. If you prefer to work out alone, give yourself something fun to do while you exercise. Find some good heart pumping music or listen to books on tape. Many stationary pieces of cardio equipment now have television screens attached to them so that you can watch something that will keep you there for a good long time.

7. In your journal, list the excuses you have previously made that have prevented you from getting to your goals and list the reasons why these excuses no longer work.

8. Change your routine as you reach new goals. Add fun to your workout and avoid the exercise plateau by increasing the intensity or the duration of your workout, or by trying a new workout or sport. Your body learns how to do an exercise after a few weeks of doing the same thing so it is important to routinely change what you do. That may be the equipment you are using, such as bands for dumbbells or running to biking.  Whatever you chose, make it something you enjoy.

9. Be compassionate to yourself. If you miss a workout or two or three, who cares? Get past it. Instead of thinking since you have already blow three days why not throw away the rest of the week? 

10. Schedule your daily exercise on your to do list and in your planner. Think of it as simply something you need to do before your head hits the pillow.  If you schedule your workout as something that is as important as your daily meeting with your staff, you won’t feel it is something you can simply remove from your to do list when the day gets crazy. In addition, try to workout in the morning before your day gets harried, then you have one less excuse!

By Christina Leon, Staff Writer