Exercise and Motivation

Why should I exercise when I don’t even feel like moving?  Ask yourself this question, “What have I done today to make myself better?”  Yesterday doesn’t matter, and tomorrow is not a guarantee, the only thing you have control over is what you do RIGHT NOW!

Almost 13 weeks ago, I made the permanent decision to change my body into a high-powered sports car, instead of the beat down station wagon that I’ve been driving around for the last couple of years.  I made the mental commitment that everyday; I was going to be able to say that I did something to better my body, my mind, my health, and my overall well-being.  This article will attempt to help you get in the proper mindset to do the same.

There are hundreds of ways to motivate yourself to stay on course, but here are a few that I use this very day.  By no means am I robot, or some “psycho” workout junkie; some days I struggle with working out just like you, but I refuse to let excuses define me.  This website, the mirror, and my health are the three primary factors that keep me moving, but here are a few more.

1. How you look and feel after a workout. I always feel an elevation in my mood after a good workout. It’s a natural high that benefits every function in your body.
2. It’s actually your private time. Most of us make time to take care of everyone else, i.e. (kids, spouse, other family, and co-workers); we don’t often make time to take care of ourselves.  Make the HealZoo Journey your “you” priority time, and don’t miss this exclusive “me” time each day.
3. Calories out, equal’s fat off. If you’re like me and hate counting calories, then you know that the more you exercise, the more calories you burn — which means you’re burning off that nasty fat.
4. Having fun. Exercise should always be fun. If it isn’t, try a different kind of exercise from our exercise section.
5. How amazing you’re going to look. Imagine a sexier, fitter you. Now let that visualization inspire and motivate you to get up each date and make a difference in your body’s’ physique.
6. Magazines. Sometimes I’ll see someone in a magazine that I know I “should” look like.  For whatever reason, this gets me psyched up to workout.
7. Fitness models. These are the folks you see on supplement advertisements and they’re always in tip-top shape.  But the HealZoo Journey program was designed around the EXACT same programs they use, so look at them and know that you’ll be looking like them more and more each day.
8. HealZoo Member Blogs. I enjoy reading other members blogs about what they’re doing, or what to do to better themselves.  They’re blogs normally show the ups and downs we all go through, but they also show that it takes a commitment to make a difference.
9. Success stories. My own success story is the one that motivates me most, and it’s not even completed yet.  I also find the success stories of others incredibly motivating.   HealZoo is going to create millions of success stories, and yours WILL be one of them as well.
10. The Forums. Our forums are a place for you to ask, receive, and give help.  We respond to our members all day, everyday.  Check in and post daily, you’ll be surprised at how much they really help.
11. Cheat Days. If you exercise properly for 6 days, give yourself a free day, or as we call it, a “Cheat Day”! Take one day out of the week and do nothing, eat what you like, and don’t think about exercising.  But be sure to get back to work the very next day.
12. Fitting into new clothes. This is one of the best experiences of the HealZoo Journey.  You go to put on one of your outfits, and it looks like you’re wearing someone else’s too big clothing.  On the flip side, you now have a reason to go shop!  But keep working out!
13. Being attractive from the neck down. What better motivator than knowing that when you take your shirt off, or slip into that two-piece bikini, you can stop traffic.  Nuff said.
14. Euphoric, adrenaline rush. Around 60% of the time during my workouts, I get a rush, or enter a “zone”.  Allow this feeling to push your workouts and fat loss to new heights.
15. Stress relief. One of the added bonuses I began noticing during my HealZoo Journey was a decrease in my blood pressure.  If you’re like me, it’s pretty easy to be wound up after a long day at the office.  Instead of sitting there stressing, get up and work off that stress.  It makes a huge difference.
16. A workout partner. If you have a spouse or a buddy that is as interested in changing their bodies as you are, grab’em, and go!
17. Your before picture. This is easily one of the most important things on this list.  Even though most of us look in the mirror every day, we don’t really realize just how much we’ve let ourselves go.  But pictures don’t like, and you often don’t realize how far you’ve come simply by looking in the mirror. Take pictures and lots of them.
18. The dread of feeling “guilty” from not exercising. If I miss a day of exercising, I get physically ill, so I remind myself of that when I feel like making excuses.  It really does work.
19. The scale. It’s not practical, nor is it a good idea to weigh yourself everyday because our weight fluctuates too much. But if you weigh yourself once a week or once every two weeks while on the HealZoo Journey Program, it’ll keep you motivated as you watch it continue to go down, instead of up. Combine the scale with the measuring tape, and a fat caliper to further enjoy the inches lost and fat loss you’ve achieved.
20. Reaching a daily goal. Set a daily goal for what you’ve done for exercise that day.  Setting a short term and achieving it, helps motivate you to complete the long-term goal of getting in peak shape.  Make it easily achievable.
21. Posting it on your member blog. Tell people you’re going to lose weight or exercise daily, and report to them what you’ve achieved.  It helps knowing that millions of others are watching your progress.
22. Motivational stories. Take full advantage of our Motivational Stories section to keep you on track.
23. Others commenting on how good you look. When someone notices the changes in your body, and how baggy your clothes are looking, it makes you feel good. And it makes you want to work out more.
24. An upcoming vacation or day at the pool. That says it all in itself.

Related posts:

1. The Secret to Getting Six Pack Abs Fast!
2. Water – You Need It To Lose Weight
3. The Reason You’re Not Motivated
4. Where Does The Fat Go?