Motivate Yourself

Motivate yourself- no one else will!

Those who know me know that I love a good workout. My mother raised me on Jane Fonda aerobics videos (on VHS!) and something about exercise stuck with me. I sometimes get on a roll for weeks at a time where I exercise nearly every day and it feels like I could go on that way forever. I’m strong! I’m a machine! I’m INVINCIBLE! I think to myself, hopped up on excess endorphins.

And then it happens. I miss a day. Maybe two days. Maybe I go away for a week and suddenly I’m on day ten of a no exercise slump. Suddenly my self-talk is a lot less congratulatory. I’m weak. I’m tired. I’m lazy. The remote control is so far away….

When this happens, sometimes it’s hard to imagine how I ever worked out every day. I sit on the couch and look at my dusty stack of Jillian Michaels DVD’s with disdain. Stop judging me, Jillian! I’ll never have abs like yours anyway! I mean honestly, it’s just not realistic! Plus, I’m super busy eating this bowl of ice cream and cruising my Facebook news feed.

In times like this, self-motivation is crucial. You have to remember how to WANT it. You have to remember why you were working so hard in the first place. Because I want to be healthy. Because I want to continue to fit into my clothes. Because bathing suit season is looming in the near future. Whatever your reasons are, let them in. Allow them to become louder and louder in your mind until you feel it- that split second where you think I could do this…I have a half hour right now…I could squeeze in a quick jog…

This is a critical moment. When you have that sneaky motivational thought, it is all too easy to ignore it. But the new season of Scandal was just posted on Netflix….and anyway bathing suit season is still at least two months away…

Before you know it, you’ve missed your chance and your butt remains glued to the couch (or office chair, bean bag chair- I don’t know where you usually sit!), and soon another day of no exercise passes you by.

The key is to seize that sneaky motivational moment, no matter where it comes from. Maybe the sun came out for the first time in a week. Maybe you saw an old picture of yourself in great shape. Maybe you saw an old picture of yourself in terrible shape. Maybe you got winded taking the stairs to your office. Suddenly you remember your motivation. This is it! Now is your chance! Instead of thinking Ugh, not you again! Go away Motivation, you know I don’t exercise anymore!…Change your mindset! This is a GOOD thing and you should be glad that your motivation is trying so hard to return! Well hello Motivation! Thank God you’re here, I thought I had lost you forever. Let’s hit the treadmill!

I know, it’s easier said than done. That’s why I’ve come up with some tricks for myself that I am happy to share with you- to help keep us motivated during those times when it seems so much more appealing to click “Play Next Episode” for the 8th time in a row and pour another glass of wine. It’s not rocket science, but it works for me and I hope it works for you, too.

1)The sticker system. Yes, this is my big tip. Giving yourself stickers. I know it sounds juvenile. It seems like strategy for elementary school children: get a sticker every time you brush your teeth, feed the hamster, read a chapter of a Goosebumps book before bed. BUT, don’t you remember how badly you wanted that sticker?! Recently I decided to carry this system into adulthood, specifically for my fitness goals. I did this because found it easy to say to myself “OK, my goal is to consistently work out at least 3 times per week for thirty minutes each”, but I found it harder to hold myself to it. So what I started doing was putting a star (my version of a sticker. Where does a person even buy stickers???) on my kitchen calendar for every day that I exercise.

After a while I could look back and see patterns, which helped me to make adjustments accordingly. For example, I discovered that I was consistently exercising at the rec center or at home               on Mondays and Wednesdays- but had a hard time keeping it up later in the week. Once I realized this, I started signing up for Barre classes on Saturday mornings at 9. This guaranteed at                 least one weekend workout (I paid for it, so I know I won’t miss it!) and it gets me out of bed in the morning. Now I was regularly getting 3 stars per week and it felt great, but I got greedy. I         wanted more stars gosh darn it! Low and behold, I started competing against myself. This week’s me will be better than last week’s me.

These days I’m averaging 4-6 workouts per week. All because of a silly little motivation system that works on first graders. Give it a shot! I bet you’ll feel great when you look back at the end of the month and realize that you worked out 15 days out of 30- or whatever your goal may be!

2) The buddy system. Yes, another elementary school trick. But again, why did we use the buddy system? To keep track of each other, to hold each other accountable! This is a perfect strategy for exercise. My colleague Kim and I have similar schedules, so this term we decided to put the gym on our calendars three times per week during our lunch break. We stick to it like we would stick to any other kind of appointment on our schedule (barring any urgent work matters, of course). When I’m packing my gym bag in the morning before the sun is even up and I can hardly comprehend the thought of exercise, I think about the fact that Kim will be there too, and we will chat and laugh and the time will pass quickly, like it always does. The best part is that Kim is in better shape that I am, particularly when it comes to cardio, which motivates me to push myself harder because I hate to be outdone! Long story short: find someone who you know will encourage you instead of enabling you. Someone whose company you enjoy. Someone who is reliable and doesn’t make excuses. Someone who supports your fitness goals. Someone who won’t let you get lost on the school field trip to the aquarium. Wait, no. That’s the other kind of buddy system. Sorry, I got carried away.

3) Put your sneakers on. This is something my mother used to say to me when I was young. If I was being lazy or lethargic she would say “Put your sneakers on. It will make you want to get up and do something.” Right she was, and it still works to this day. Putting your sneakers on gets you in the frame of mind to exercise. Think about it: when you get home from work, the first thing you want to do is change your clothes (or at least I do!). It’s tempting to go straight to loungewear, but I find that if I put my gym clothes and sneakers on instead, I have a much better chance of working out that night. I can cook dinner first. I can digest for a half hour while watching tv or catching up with my family. But after all that, I’m ready to exercise as opposed to sinking into the couch, never to return. This strategy is also effective on the weekends. I put my gym clothes on as soon as I get up. Even if you don’t like to exercise first thing in the morning, you can do all your errands, laundry, cleaning, etc. and still pop out for a run when you’re finished. You’re already dressed!

I hope you find these silly tips helpful. Remember, you are the only one who can force yourself to get up and move. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

• Elizabeth Jacoby
  • To see more from Elizabeth check out our Fitness Page!