What drives people to get physically active and exercise? For some, the inspiration comes from a desire to look and feel good or to live longer and healthier lives for their loved ones. For others, like athletes, the impetus is a burning passion to win or to compete. Some people on the other hand believe that motivation is something that will come if they wait long enough – someday they expect to wake up with that eagerness and excitement for physical activity. Unfortunately, that day may never come. Motivation is something we create, not something we wait for. 

Each day can present new roadblocks on the path towards a healthier and more active life. It’s common for many of us to abandon our fitness routines from time to time – for days and weeks, or sometimes even for months or years. How then should you get on the road back towards your goals? The key is to plan ahead – identify possible obstacles and prepare for long and short-term strategies that will help you get through, over, or around those walls. 

Through the years of counselling people as a fitness nutritionist, I identified four basic obstacles that keep people from getting motivated to lose weight and exercise. The first and biggest hurdle is simply how to start, either for the first time, or again, after a long time. Getting started from scratch is as daunting as getting back on track for some who have fallen off the exercise wagon. The strategies that will help the true “newbie,” are also beneficial in getting the “backslider” on the right path. The second obstacle is probably the most common reason people give for not exercising – “I DON’T HAVE TIME!” It’s what I call the life happens excuse because “something always comes up.” Daily life has its way of getting in the way of fitness goals. Whatever “it” is, “it: will happen, and for many people, “it” sends their exercise plans right out the window. The third most frequent blow comes from exercise boredom – “I don’t have fun,” or “I don’t feel like it.” The last roadblock is one that even I can relate with despite my expertise. From time to time, I too have been snagged by the discouragement obstacle – “I don’t see results,” “I’ve tried everything but nothing seems to work.”

  
                        HOW TO START and HOW TO GET BACK ON TRACK 

·         SET GOALS AND RECOMMIT DAILY 

o   Having something to work for, big or small is one way to start you off and keep you going. Find anything that will give you inspiration whether it’s a weight loss goal, a health goal, a new person in your life or a goal to run a marathon.

o   Being physically active isn’t a decision you make once – it’s something you make every day. Set daily, weekly and monthly targets. Recommitting to your purpose is necessary to keep yourself on track.

o   WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS and post them where you can see them often. Do whatever you can to remind yourself of your commitment to exercise

·         PREPARE AHEAD 

o   Make it as easy as possible to follow through. Prepare your gym bag. Lay out your workout clothes the night before or prepare your sports beverage so you are always ready to go.

o   Keep your gym bag and workout clothes in your car even on days when you are not scheduled to exercise. An appointment or meeting might get cancelled or you may free up some time for whatever reason. You always want to be prepared to use that spare time for exercise. 

·         VISUALIZE and engage your IMAGINATION Imagine yourself at your healthier weight. Make it so real in your mind’s eyes that you can see what you will wear, what you will do, how you will feel and what other people will say to you when you are at your ideal weight. Visualizing yourself at a healthier weight gives you something TANGIBLE to reach for. Seeing yourself fit will help you naturally eat and be as active as the person you would like to be 

·         BUY NEW clothes and gadgets 

o   Motivate yourself with new workout clothes and shoes. Remember as a child how excited you were to go to church whenever you have new Sunday clothes? You can’t wait to try them out and show them off!

o   Any workout gadget - a pedometer, a new club or racket - can get you moving because you want to put it to use 

·         FIND ALLIES or ROLE MODELS 

o   Sign up for a class with a friend to motivate you to get there and stay there. Exercise is easier to blow off when no one is counting on you to show upo   Be inspired by other people. If they can do it, so can you.

  
LIFE HAPPENS: “I don’t have time” 

·         FORGET THE ALL OR NOTHING APPROACH 

o   Do mini-workouts and build from there. You don’t have to hold out for a trip to the gym or a 30-minute oval run. Short but frequent bouts of activities (10 minute sessions, 3x a day) produce the same health benefits as one 30-minute session.

o   Tell yourself you will do only 10 minutes and decide after that whether to carry on. Often, after achieving your initial commitment of 10 minutes, you continue doing more when you are already feeling better and enjoying what you are doing. Either way, it’s a win-win situation. If you do just the 10 minutes and stop, you get to congratulate yourself for keeping your promise to yourself. If you do more than that, you get to feel even more triumphant and you will remember this feeling of accomplishment next time 

·         PROVE THERE IS TIME For 1 week, list down all your daily activities. Review your journal and look for places to insert exercise – while watching the evening news or waiting for dinner to be prepared. Schedule an exercise routine that will match your free time. For instance, you can do simple dumbbell exercises while watching TV or you can take a quick walk around the block while dinner is cooking. 

·         TIME FOR CONTEMPLATION Use the quiet time of exercise for thinking about things. I personally love taking a long walk or run when I want to organize my thoughts and all the many things I have yet to do. I am actually hitting two birds with one stone -- I get to accomplish something from both my work and my exercise “to do” list  

·         WAKE 30 MINUTES EARLIER or long before anybody else in your house does. 

o   Use this alone time to exercise if one of your time constraints include caring for the lives of others (your kids, spouse, members of family)

o   Try to workout in the morning. You’ll have more energy throughout the day. You also avoid the trap of skipping it because you have to work late or you’re too tired after a long day at work 

·         PLAN FOR “FAILURE” 

o   Plan on ways to get past obstacles before they happen. If you always have to skip exercise because of family obligations, plan a family walk or activity that will involve them too

o   Creating a backup plan makes you more likely to fit exercise into your day. If you find you have to work late, see if you can fit in a quick walk at lunch or use your breaks to climb the stairs.  

·         WORK OUT WITH A TRAINER OR A FRIEND Working out with a trainer can help you get into a regular schedule. Treat your workout time as ordinary scheduled appointments and important meetings you cannot break or miss.                     
 

EXERCISE BOREDOM 

·         MIX UP YOUR ROUTINE 

o   In one study, 66% of people who combined exercise on their own (e.g. running, cycling) AND structured classes (e.g. Pilates, Aero) continued to work out for at least 6 months compared with 39% of those who depended solely on classes and 60% of those exercising on their own

o   Doing the same routine gets boring and because your body gets used to the same movements, your exercise will produce diminishing results. Try a new route or a new class. Add intensity, change your resistance or add new movements to your old routines 

·         MATCH YOUR EXERCISE TO YOUR PERSONALITY 

o   A 2004 study at the University of Florida revealed that a fit between activity and temperament increases a person’s fun-filled commitment to an exercise program

§  Extroverted and social – try high intensity group classes or team sports

§  High-strung with a tendency to be anxious – try indoor solo activities

§  Adventurous and open to new experiences – try martial arts or dance classes in which you frequently have to learn new moves and routines

§  Driven and goal-directed – try a structured and scheduled high intensity routine such as Capoeira 

o   Do something you really like and enjoy and not what you “must” or “should” do. Don’t force yourself to lift weights when it just isn’t your thing just because you know you need to build muscle to create a lean figure. Find alternatives that best suit your lifestyle and personality. For instance, instead of going to the gym and using those machines, try power yoga or wall climbing – using your body weight to balance yourself will give you the muscular strength and sculpting you need. If you do not like what you are doing, you will not do it often. Keep experimenting until you find the thing that motivates you mentally and physically 

·         MIX UP SONGS Create a playlist of favourite tunes that will dictate the pace of your workout. Your body cannot help but move to the rhythm of music you love and you enjoy the release! 

·         HAVE A FUN PARTNER Buddy up with a highly motivated friend and let his/her enthusiasm move you into action  

                   DISCOURAGEMENT: “I don’t see results” 

·         REWARD yourself for your mini-triumphs o   Don’t wait before you lose 20 lbs or 3 dress sizes before you take the time to appreciate what you have achievedo   Log your workouts and congratulate yourself for simply doing it. o   Register for a challenging event. Join an organized fun run, a walkathon or a tournament – something that will be a real challenge for you and show up. Simply aim to participate and let the experience empower you. 

·         READ BLOGS and SUCCESS STORIES or JOIN ONLINE FORUMS 

o   Read blogs of people who are into running or losing weight. They write about their ups and downs and you may learn a lot from their experienceso   Read about the success stories of other people who will inspire you to forge on.o   Join forums of like-minded people who are going through the same slump. Some of them may have encountered your same problems and may give you the solutions you seek 

·         CONSIDER PERSONAL COACHING Professional trainers and coaches can evaluate your problem areas and with their expertise, they will be able to give you a fresh perspective for achieving your goals 

·         FORGET BEING PERFECT Making exercise a habit is a journey and not just a destination. It’s something you will work on every day. Focus on what you can do today to reach your goals. What you want is to make your BEST EFFORT and give yourself credit for what you have already achieved