I'm Back!!

Hello everyone!  Sorry I have been MIA for the past week, my grandpa passed away and I made a last minute trip to Colorado to attend his funeral and be with my family.  It was hard to say goodbye to him, but my family is AMAZING.  I will have a post dedicated to my experiences later this week....

For now, I'm leaving you with some of the ways I get myself motivated to workout.  Hope these are helpful for you too!

1. Get dressed right away.  As soon as I wake up or come home from work, I immediately change into my gym clothes.  Just having my workout attire on gets me motivated to workout.  When I go to the 6am spin class I usually sleep in my gym clothes the night before so all I have to do is get up and put on my shoes.
2. Concentrate on how you'll feel after a good workout.  Even if I'm not motivated to workout, I ALWAYS feel 100% better after I do.  SO try to focus on this good energy while driving to the gym or warming up for a long run.
3. Something is better than nothing.  Once you get to the gym, start off with a small warm-up and build from there.  Even if you feel too tired to workout, you'll be surprised at how much you can push yourself once your body is in "exercise mode".
4. Race Someone.  This works for me because I am extremely competitive.  If I am on a treadmill next to someone who is running fast, I push myself harder to keep up or even go faster than him/her.  Sometimes they even race back...I like to call this little game "Treadmill Wars".
5. Download a new song.  Sometimes I get bored with my usual workout playlist, so downloading a couple new songs on my I Pod gives me something new to look forward to.  Try googling workout playlists to view hundreds of other people's music.
6. Go with a friend.  If you make a promise to meet a friend at the gym, you are holding yourself accountable to actually show up.  Plus having the company makes the workout time fly by.
7. Go on a shopping spree.  Buying cute gym clothes sounds silly, but if I have a new pair of running shorts or compression top it totally motivates me to show them off.
8. Don't go home.  If Tip #1 doesn't work, pack a duffel bag so you can go straight to the gym and avoid getting sucked in by your comfy couch or T.V.
9. Start going to classes.  I like taking classes like Body Pump, Pilates, and Spin later in the evening or early in the morning.  Having motivation from the instructor will push you to work hard.
10. Set goals for yourself.  This gives me a bigger picture to my daily workout routines.  If I'm planning on running a 10k in a couple months, it makes me stay on a regular running schedule so I will be in great shape to do the run.