I had 3 babies in 3 years. I have used several techniques to make me run after no sleep, eat healthy at a birthday party or stay focused even though I didn’t hit my goal weight in three weeks.
I focus on the psychology of fitness and success because I believe that if you understand ‘why’ you want to do something the ‘how’ part becomes easy. I didn’t get fit by reading about how to perform a sit-up. I got fit because something motivated me to want to learn how to perform every sit-up God made.
Learning what uniquely motivates you is what will make you successful in your weight loss or weight gain journey. Here are 101 strategies that I have seriously used in my years in training. (I have modified this list throughout the years)
1: Write down your goals.
2: Create a fitness action plan.
3: Devise a desirable reward.
4: Set a completion date.
5: Enter a competition.
6: Enter a competition amongst your friends.
7: Plaster motivational quotes all over your house.
8: Write “Every Day is a New Battle” on your bathroom mirror.
9: Post your favorite fitness role model on your refrigerator.
10: Post your favorite fat picture on your refrigerator.
11: Type “Your Character is your Destiny” on your screen saver.
12: Type “Get off your Fat Butt” on your screen saver.
13: Practice core strength by using a stability ball for a chair.
14: Rollover and do some crunches in-between emails on your stability ball chair.
15: Buy a nice wardrobe that will fit you in two months.
16: Donate all your fat clothes to Salvation Army.
17: Moderate your strict eating with a fat meal once a week.
18: When eating your fat meal, look at the body type of other people who eat fat meals daily.
19: Buy some fitness magazines.
20: Read some “how to” fitness article.
21: Join a fitness web blog: www.bodyspace.com
22: Watch “The Biggest Loser”
23: Pray and thank God you only have to 1/4 of the weight those people lose!
24: Make a supportive fitness group.
25: Hang around fit friends.
26: Surround yourself with people and things that promote a healthy lifestyle.
27: Find a running partner.
28: Announce your ‘mission to be fit’ with everyone you know.
29: Visit Oxygen Magazine’s website.
30: Make a workout and diet log.
31: Personalize your journal by adding inspirational quotes and pictures.
32: Document your progress: weight, body fat, and blood pressure.
33: Sign up for a 5k run.
34: Talk to competitors and pros that live for fitness.
35: Ask your role models what motivates them.
36: Take a chance and email your role model off their web site.
37: Take a supplement for physical gains as well as a mental ‘placebo’ effect.
38: Drink some coffee.
39: Drink more coffee.
40: Date someone more fit than you.
41: Date someone who inspires you.
42: Date someone you want to look really good naked for.
43: Shave your body so you can see all your muscles.
44: Tan your body so you can see all the lines and contours of your muscles.
45: Tan your body at the beach so that people with really nice bodies can inspire you.
46: Hire a trainer.
47: Become a trainer.
48: Humble a trainer by knowing more stuff than him/her.
49: Look like a trainer.
50: Buy new athletic shoes.
51: Buy a new workout outfit.
52: Buy clean, new and comfortable socks.
53: Wear really bright colors to the gym.
54: Take a group exercise class.
55: Take a spinning class for really intense cardio.
56: Take Yoga or Pilate’s class for variety and core strength.
57: Drink an energy drink.
58: Plan a vacation where you have to wear a swimsuit.
59: Read Lance Armstrong’s biography.
60: Envision your workout during your warm-up.
61: Focus on the workout, one set at a time.
62: Beat yourself up with weights for even getting de-motivated.
63: Conquer your negative thoughts by pushing your body into painful consciousness.
64: Subscribe to my Facebook page.
65: Make it a goal to be the fittest person in the weight room – or any room for that matter.
66: Test your Max on pushups and pullups.
67: Post the Krispy Kreme’s calendar on your wall.
68: Post a fitness calendar on your wall.
69: Watch the Olympics.
70: Read articles by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
71: Buy a home exercise bike or treadmill.
72: Become the inspiration amongst your friends.
73: Help someone who is very overweight or wants to gain muscle.
74: Visit my web site: www.mariakang.com.
75: Place your alarm clock across your bedroom so that you have to get up to turn it off in the morning.
76: Place your athletic shoes right next to your alarm clock.
77: Place a quote right next to your alarm clock that says: “Today you are closer to the person you were meant to become.”
78: Alarm your cell phone to give you daily reminders to eat, workout and give gratitude.
79: Volunteer your time with people who don’t have full function of their bodies.
80: Buy Fitness Applications on your phone like Nike GPS, Lose It and Calorie Counter
81: Look up new, healthy recipes to cook.
82: Search for new, healthy restaurants to eat at.
83: Observe the body type of the people at restaurants you shouldn’t eat at.
84: Read one of Mike Mahler‘s Aggressive Strength Training Articles
85: Learn a new exercise technique like Kettle Bell training.
86: Turn off your TV and run.
87: Buy a new MP3 player or IPOD and put some high, energy, workout songs on it.
88: Buy new workout devices like a heart rate monitor or pedometer.
89: Workout at a different gym.
90: Workout at a different time of day.
91: Workout using all new exercises.
92: Vary your cardio by incorporating High Intensity Training.
93: Say a prayer for power right before you train.
94: Say a prayer for performance right before your set.
95: Say a prayer for pain during your set.
96: Say a prayer for persistence after your set.
97: Say a prayer for positive action after you train.
98: Read articles on Fitnescure.com
99: Shop for supplements, videos and books
100: Get passionate enough to write a blog about fitness.
101: You know what motivates you. Quit reading and make it happen.
Until next time,
Maria Kang
4 Comments
Hi, I was wondering how you go about creating a fitness action plan. What do you put in it? Etc. Thank you 🙂
Hi Cari! Your wish is my command! Here you go: http://www.mariakang.com/2012/10/01/action-plan-15-rules/
Thanks meant for giving these terrific info.
as I mom of 5 think you for this I’m tired of ppl saying it cant be done. I have done it before thank you for the extra motivation.