One thing about working out and exercising is that you need to find a way to motivate yourself during each workout and keep yourself motivated.  We are all different so what works for me may not work for you, but I will share a few things that help keep me going and loving my workouts!

First, I love the challenge of a hard workout and I am a fierce competitor against myself.  So, part of what motivates me is to try to beat my record from my previous week.  For example, if I did 130 crunches last week then I want to do at least 131 crunches or more.  Yes, I may only do one more, but that one extra crunch equals a win for me.  Baby steps forward are a success, big or small.  These steps, no matter what the size, count as successes and those successes motivate me to challenge myself to do better each week!

Next, I make sure to find music that speaks to me and my lifestyle.  I challenge you to do the same!  By this, I suggest finding lyrics (words) that truly dig deep and make you want to reach your fitness, nutrition, and wellness goals rather than simply listening to music with an upbeat tempo.  This way when your workout gets tough, you can listen to those lyrics and words to help push you through your workout.  For example, I love the lyrics of Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake music because I can relate to the words and emotions.  This helps push me farther, makes me work harder, and dig even deeper during my workouts.  I also tend to listen to music that provides a certain sensation or feeling.  For example, I love the television series Alias and I often download music that I hear during Alias episodes.  Then when I am working out and I hear a song from Alias, it brings me back to the episode and stunts that Jennifer Garner does during the show.  For those who haven’t watched it, she plays a fierce and strong female spy, so basically she’s a badass! 😉

Lastly, consider finding an athlete that motivates and inspires you.  I know that as an avid tennis lover and watcher, I love the athleticism of Andy Murray (the accent doesn’t hurt either) ;-).  He appears in a new commercial where he is working out, so I often think of that commercial and use the motivation that he has to help me get through my workouts.  Another workout commercial that I love is the Nike “I will run to you” commercial that frequented television screens about a year ago.  It has to do with working out and it is fitting for my trail runs and outside workouts.

~jj