So, from now on, I am going to try setting a short term goal for each week.  I will report on my progress when I do my weekly weigh in.

This week, my goals are:

• Go for a run every morning before breakfast
• Track my calories each day and average 2300 per day
• Do 3 strength training workouts

I think that by doing this, it will make it more difficult for me to procrastinate.  I will reach my long term goal one week at a time.  I’m going to have a great week!

On another note, I was watching a show about Ironman yesterday and there was an 80-year-old man who has been doing it every year for the past 21 years.  He said something that I found to be pretty motivational.

“If you want to be functional at 80, you damn well better pay attention at 40″

No more procrastinating for me!

I would like to be able to get my daily exercise out of the way each morning but, being the procrastinator that I am, morning usually turns to late morning, which turns to after lunch, etc etc and I usually end up exercising around 9pm at night (when my lack of motivation doesn’t get the better of me).

Anyway, I have been finding that no matter how much I don’t feel like exercising, once I start it often becomes enjoyable.  If it isn’t one of those days where it becomes enjoyable, it is at least tolerable after the first 10 minutes or so.  I always feel great once I’m finished and I’m glad I exercised.

The next time you don’t feel like exercising and think you might put it off until tomorrow, try to remember this:  If you just get started it might suck for a few minutes but you’ll get over it and you’ll be glad you did it!

Related articles

• Is Exercise a Pleasure or Chore? (fitsugar.com)

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I have always struggled with staying motivated, and now I finally know why – my fingers aren’t long enough!  It turns out that researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a link between finger length and motivation.

…

Interesting article, but really? Finger length? I wonder how they even thought to check the correlation!

For all of you out there with shorter than average fingers, don’t despair. You can still do it! You just might have to work a little harder at staying motivated.

When it comes to weight loss, the rules are really simple. Eat right and exercise. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? I think the thing that the majority of people struggle with is motivation.

I too have had, and continue to have, occasional struggles with motivation. Sometimes it’s just for a day or two, other times it could last months. I’d like to share some of the things that I have found to help when I am finding it hard to stay focused on exercising and eating properly.

If you find that you are having trouble staying consistent with exercising:

Find someone to work out with. Whether you are going to the gym with them, or going for runs or walks together, it really helps to have someone to go with. When you make a plan to meet them every other day at a certain time, you are much less likely to skip out on your workout. It really helps to be accountable to someone. I started working out with a friend at the gym and the first couple of days, I REALLY didn’t feel like exercising. I had so many other things to do, but I didn’t want to let them down. Now I really look forward to working out with them.

If you are struggling with eating healthy:

Exercise regularly! I know for myself, if I work out in the morning I am much less likely to cheat during the day. I can’t stand the thought of undoing that hard work that I did by eating junk.

Plan a cheat day once per week. “Once per week” is not written in stone, but I certainly wouldn’t do it more frequently than that. Sometimes I will go 2 weeks without a cheat day. Sometimes I’ll just have a cheat meal instead of a whole day. When I get a craving during the week for pizza or a donut or something, just knowing that I can have a treat on Saturday helps me to stay on the right track. As long as you keep it reasonable, it doesn’t hurt to treat yourself once per week, but it’s important not to go overboard and just pig out all day.

The last two tips apply to both eating right and exercising. Sign up for an event. Whether it’s a 5k, half marathon, or a triathlon, sign up for something that is within your capability, but that you will still have to work to achieve. Last summer, I signed up for and completed my first olympic distance triathlon. I have never been so consistent with exercising and eating right as I was for the 6 months leading up to that event. I also got down to my lowest weight in 10 years, and I was feeling great. This summer I have signed up for a couple of 10K’s, a half marathon, and I’m looking to do another triathlon. I find that these things really help me to stay focused.  They give me a reason to be consistent. When you have a goal to work toward, it is much easier to stick to your weight loss plan.

Track your progress. Nothing is more motivating than seeing results. Measure your progress often enough that it keeps you motivated, but not so often that you get discouraged. For example, I find that weekly measurements work well for me. Daily, on the other hand, would be counter productive because you are very unlikely to see any progress from one day to the next.