"What is your motivation?"

[Anonymous]

There is a poster up at my gym that asks "what is your motivation?" with a picture of a bride in the background and it got me thinking about how short-sighted some of my goals have been in the past. The thing is, those short term goals (family wedding, beach vacation, reunion) were very powerful motivators, albeit short lived. Now I try to focus on just staying in shape and controlling my weight to stay energetic, strong and healthy for myself and my family, but part of me wishes I had better willpower to lose that extra 10 lbs.

So how do you motivate yourself?

[Anonymous]

Naked in the mirror. What I see keepz me motivated. Plus I feel great. God has given me one chance and one body here on earth. I'm going to use it to my fullest potential.

[Anonymous]

I'm getting older and I know I'm never going to look like a bikini model but I feel like exercising and continuing to exercise will stave off the worst parts of aging. I know I can't reverse time or guarantee that I will never get sick but I think it is a good way to keep my heart healthy, and my cholesterol, weight and blood pressure in check. It also helps me sleep at night and makes me feel accomplished. I am 45 and I just ran my first half marathon. My husband and I hiked for 4 hours yesterday and I ran six miles on Saturday. I do boot camp 5 days a week for strength training. I want to be able to continue to walk, run, golf, hike, bike and ski well into my golden years. I also believe that continuing to exercise now will keep my brain sharp and allow me (us) to be independent well into our retirement.

[Anonymous]

I've found that fitness related goals are more motivating than weight loss goals (though weight/fat loss is a nice side effect). So for example, I set goals to build up to running a certain distance or being able to lift a particular amount of weight by a certain date. I'm careful about diet, so this goal setting isn't the whole picture, but when a week goes by and I haven't lost weight, I'm at least encouraged that I've achieved something because running or lifting have gotten easier.

From day to day, habit is a motivator. I don't feel like going to the gym prior to about 1/2 my workouts, but it's become part of my routine so I do it even if I don't feel like it.

[Anonymous]

Losing weight to feel better about how I looked in a swimsuit started my motivation. I have to spend a lot of time at the pool in the summer b/c of swim team. When I started working out, though, I started to appreciate how fitness was changing more than just the experience in the dressing room. I love being stronger, having better endurance and not even thinking twice about some physical challenges that used to be a struggle for me. I also think that making fitness a priority, instead of being so calorie focused, is a good example for my kids. They are very athletic and I hope they see that being active is just part of life.

[Anonymous]

Not getting hurt at work.

[Anonymous]

Desire to be active as long as I can. I'm 47 and have seen the effects on being overweight on my mom and her mobility.

As for positive motivation, I love how my shoulders look when I'm lifting weights and working out.

[Anonymous]

My DD motivates me...wanting to set a good example for her regarding what it means to be a strong and healthy woman. When I was young I had a high metabolism, which I countered with lots of junk food and no exercise. It wasn't a problem until I hit 30, but over the past six years I've seen a significant decline in my body. I felt like I was in a "now or never" situation and needed to make changes for my health and also to ensure I was raising DD in a healthy manner.

My DD is too little to understand right now, but I hope that if she sees me making good food choices and exercising throughout her childhood it will help her see it as normal.

Also, this sounds silly, but I'm not really proud of my career right now - total mommy track. I hope that by setting physical goals and achieving them, I can show her what it means to work hard at something and be proud of the results.

[Anonymous]

Few things -
Energy and sleeping better. I always fall asleep easily, sleep rock hard, and wake up refreshed after a hard workout that day. Not the case if I don't do at least something.
Family history of heart disease. I realize some of it is genetics, but lots of it can be improved with a healthy lifestyle too.
Comfort. I like to be able to wear pants without feeling my stomach overflow over the waist, like to be able to walk around without my thighs rubbing together and chaffing, etc.
Rock different fashions and look nicer in clothes. I feel like it's a lot easier to pull something off if you're not overweight. Plus I think clothes just look better in general on someone thin.
Setting an example for kids. I want them to know that exercise daily and healthy eating is just a normal part of life.

[Anonymous]

I don't care about losing weight, which is lucky because I have started exercising harder and more regularly and I am still fat. BUT I feel so good after I work out, and I sleep better, which is something I need help with thankyousoverymuch, menopause.

And honestly? I love how it feels to take a shower after getting really, really sweaty.

[Anonymous]

My kids. I don't want to die young or be unable to have adventures with them as they grow up. My family has a strong predilection for diabetes and I've already been diagnosed (and beat) cervical cancer. I know there are no guarantees but I want to know I did what I could to spend as much time with them and my (maybe) grand babies as I can. I'm was 12 years older than my mom when she had me and I love having a young mom. I can't be young but I can be fit.

[Anonymous]

My best motivation is the fact that when I'm exercising, I just have more energy, I sleep better, I'm less stressed and much kinder to the people around me. I want to be able to keep up with my daughter as she grows. It also helps keep my depression in check.