motivation

Propel Fitness Water used to run ads with the slogan, “FIT HAS A FEELING!” That slogan has really stuck with me because I believe it’s true: There is a feeling that comes with exercise. While you may not be able to put your finger on it, it’s there. When my alarm clock starts buzzing at 4:30 am, there is a feeling that makes me get up. It’s deep inside, but as tired as I may feel, I love getting out of bed to work out!

I am an addicted multitasker. Sometimes I feel really good about that — and sometimes not so much. Many of us can survive on very little sleep to pull off an important project at work, prepare a holiday dinner for 20 relatives, coordinate the entire family’s events while still doing laundry, paying the bills, helping with homework … Yet often we feel it isn’t good enough; we should have been able to do more … like fit in a workout. Ironically, guilt, failure and regret leave us feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed. So when you find yourself in “not good enough” mode, take a deep breath and take action.

“I didn’t even know I was unhappy until people started commenting on my new bubbly lease on life,” says a client of mine who lost 80 pounds over the course of a year. Yet one of the most exasperating things about losing weight safely and healthfully is that a loss of two pounds a week isn’t always noticed right away by friends and family.

Are you having fun yet? I think of fun in two ways. First there’s the possibility of actually enjoying a new behavior. That’s especially easy when we’ve chosen something potentially fulfilling — learning the two-step, getting to know your new neighborhood, getting the pile of papers off your desk, following your dream of getting a pilot’s license. The more you can find ways to make your new habit fun, the more likely you’ll stick to it. Do it with friends, create a contest with your kids to see who’s better at it, make it into a silly game.

Whatever you are working on, you will not do it perfectly. The trick is not to never goof up, but not to turn goof-ups into give-ups. In order to keep motivated and not give up when you blow it, it’s important that you use what you learn from your tracking — I said I would exercise 30 minutes every day and I haven’t done it once — as information, not as the chance for self-punishment. The more you criticize, blame, shame or guilt-trip yourself, the less well you’ll do.

I realized early in life that my health is a privilege I am willing to invest in every single day. I’ve taught my body to train in an almost meditative manner, where my focus is complete. It is not always like that, and I don’t work out when I’m sick. But when I’m healthy, I follow my plan — because I know that in the big picture, every drop of sweat and effort I spend toward my health and well-being is worth it. That is the reality.

Fall is here! And since colder nights are a natural sign for the body to start slowing down, it can be difficult to find motivation to work out this time of year. Yet it’s not an obstacle — merely a bump in the road on your exciting journey to a healthier body and lifestyle.

I have a great new exercise for you to try if you are feeling low energy and you can’t get motivated . The first step is to ask yourself if you really want to feel better. Second, rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 on your present state and then pick a number on that scale that you want to move up to and be as specific as you can as to what you would be feeling and acting like if you met that goal.  For instance, you might say: I am tired, I don’t feel like doing anything, all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch TV and eat cookies.  On a scale of 1-10, I am a 4 because I am not really sad, just feeling low energy and lazy.