Staying Motivated

A few of my friends have asked me: how do you stay motivated to work out? Well, I honestly have had slumps where I wasn't motivated. But I want to change that. I want to be motivated every day. I want to share some motivational tips with you that my coach, Carrie Lincoln, has shared with me! Thank you Carrie for keeping me motivated!!

Carrie's top 7 self motivation tips:

1. Decide On Your Goals And Write Them DownTo get motivated, you need to know what you're aiming to achieve, so plan short, medium and long term goals. The goals you choose need to be realistic and achievable. There's no point in setting the goal-posts so high they're out of reach - you're doomed to fail, and failure is not very motivating! So, if you are looking to lose 50lbs, break it down to 2lbs a week, that's 8lbs a month! You will feel more accomplished by setting up small goals. Always revisit your goals and change them up when needed. This will help keep you excited and your motivation will keep increasing.

2. Have an accountability partner Tell somebody else about your goals and dreams. Verbalizing and visualizing your goals makes them feel real. Tell your accountability partner every morning what workout you will be completing that day and check with each other at the end of the day. The last thing you?re going to want to do is report that you never did your workout and were to lazy and what other excuses you come up with. Need an accountability partner let me know! I am always happy to help out and provide some words of encouragement.

3. Don't Let Your Feelings Get In The WayWhen the only person you have to answer to is yourself, make sure the messages you're hearing are the right ones. Hitting the Snooze button is not going to make you a success, so no matter how you feel, get up and do your workout anyway! Even really bad morning people find their motivation levels rise once they get started, regardless of how they felt earlier in the day.

Feelings are only that - feelings. They DON'T run your life! Remember the old song "Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days Are Stone?" Life is a bit like that; some days you'll wish you never got out of bed, others you'll power through your day.

3. Stop ProcrastinatingProcrastination kills self motivation, but procrastination can be overcome with a well-structured daily schedule. The best time to do your workout is the same time every day. The best habits are those that are done the same time daily; like getting up in the morning, showering, brushing our teeth, doing our hair.

Don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed with the number of things you have to do. The answer is to complete each task before moving on to the next one. Procrastination can leave you feeling frustrated at never having achieved anything, so when you complete each task you set yourself, reward yourself for your achievements.

4. Plan a get-together. One of the great things that motivates me is showing up somewhere in excellent shape. Especially if I have a Beachbody event to attend to. I better show up in excellent shape and be working out and eating properly, I can't show up looking sluggish. Attending a friends pool party, beach party is a great motivator! Showing off your hard work and great nutrition in your bathing suit!

5. Take progress pictures every few months or every month. There is nothing worse than having your next process picture looking worse than the previous one. Great way to compete with yourself. Pictures don't lie!

6. Reward Yourself
Your self motivation will increase enormously if you give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done. Your reward doesn't have to cost a lot. In fact, it doesn't have to cost anything. Have some Me Time.

Reward yourself with a night off and watch the latest release DVD, or go to the park with the kids.

7. Have Fun!Trying to lose lots of weight can be incredibly hard work, so a sense of humor is a key ingredient in your success. Try not to take yourself too seriously. Learning to enjoy yourself while you workout keeps you enthusiastic and motivated, and staying enthusiastic and motivated helps you keep your stress levels under control.