“80 percent of success is showing up.” - Woody Allen

You know you need to work out, but you’re having trouble getting up
the enthusiasm. How do you find motivation to exercise when you just
don’t feel like getting off your butt? I ask myself this question every
now and then, and I have the feeling I’m not the only one.

There are a million ways to motivate yourself to exercise, actually, but these are a few that have worked for me.

• Have fun. If you hate running, don’t go to the
  track for exercise. Find something you like. The list of different
  kinds of exercises are nearly endless. The only really important thing
  is to get your body moving and your heart rate up.
• How you feel after a workout. I always feel great after a good workout. It’s a high. And I let that motivate me the next time.
• Calories burned. If you count calories (and it’s
  really one of the most effective ways to lose weight), you know that
  the more you exercise, the more calories you burn — and the bigger your
  calorie deficit.
• How you’re going to look. Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that visualization drive you.
• Change it up. Even if you have a routine you
  enjoy, mix it up from time to time. Try entirely different exercises.
  You can check out a tape at the library and try yoga or kick boxing for
  an afternoon. This will not only keep you interested, it will break
  your muscles out of their routine and help produce better results.
• Get a buddy. Exercising with a friend introduces a
  positive kind of peer pressure. You will be more likely to go to the
  gym if you know someone is waiting there for you. Talking and laughing
  while exercising will also keep you from being bored.
• An exercise log/graph. For some reason, writing it down is extremely important. Really. Do it for a week and you’ll see what I mean.
• Get appropriate clothing. If you don’t have the
  appropriate clothes for the excercise, it can be irritating,
  uncomfortable, frustrating, or even unsafe. If you exercise outside
  after dusk, be sure you have reflective clothing to prevent traffic
  accidents. Also be sure the clothing looks nice; if you don’t like the
  way your clothing looks, you may feel uncomfortable, and less likely to
  exercise.
• Pack Ahead of Time: An iPod, athletic shoes, a
  towel… whatever. Walking around the house trying to find stuff is a
  good time to lose your resolve. Put everything together in your gym
  bag. When you finish working out, take out things that need to be
  laundered and replace them immediately.
• Have a Goal. What do you want to achieve? Make it
  specific, make it meaningful, make it obtainable. Be sure to have
  short-term benchmarks along the way. It’s OK to change your goals if
  the original plan doesn’t work, but have a goal. Regularly evaluate how
  you are doing on your goals.
• Success stories. I find the success stories of
  others incredibly inspirational. If a fitness website has success
  stories, I’ll almost always read them.
• Reward Yourself. Have a healthy reward when you
  reach a goal. Buy yourself that cute pair of bike shorts. Go for a
  weekend hiking tri. Soak in the sauna for your “workout” that day. Buy
  a new yoga video. Whatever works for you to celebrate in line with your
  healthy lifestyle!