The Top 10 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

December 4, 2010 By 1 Comment

I love to keep fit and exercise but there are some days I struggle with the motivation to do it. I have days when I drag my feet and days when everything else seems to be a priority. So on those days I really need certain things to get me motivated and get going. Making your health and wellness a priority is so important. Taking care of yourself and feeling good will help you in so many other areas of your life. So here are 10 things I do to find the motivation to exercise.

1. Motivational Fitness Quotes- If you read my blog very often you know I am a big fan of quotes. There are some great quotes out there on fitness that have helped me. I keep them where I can see them daily. Here are a few of my favorites- “Fitness – if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body”. ~Cher and “If your body’s not right, the rest of your day will go all wrong. Take care of yourself. “~V.L. Allinear

2. Remembering the after workout feeling- I know there is no other feeling in the world like the feeling after a good workout. When my motivation is not there I think about that feeling and it gets me going. If you can keep that after workout feeling in your head it will get you more excited to exercise.

3. Make it fun-I try to make exercise fun and put my all into it. I know on the days I am doing exercise I like I am much more likely to want to do it. When it is something I don’t enjoy I find it is harder to motivate myself. If if you don’t know how to make exercise fun, check out my blog post about learning to enjoy exercise and making it part of your life.

4. Rewards-When I reach certain goals I reward myself with a little special something. I like to go have a pedicure since my feet get a little beat up. Think of a nice reward for when you reach your goals to keep you motivated.

5. Visualization- I keep photos of what I am working towards where I can see them everyday. It helps knowing what you want to attain and being able to see it everyday is a good reminder. It pushes me to want to exercise even when I am lacking the motivation.

6. Improved Mood- I could be having the worst day in the world and exercise seems to melt that stress and negativity away. I know if I am in a bad mood I need to workout. When you are in a bad mood push with all your might to get in a good workout and see how you feel after.

7. Keep Track of your Progress- I took photos and measurements before I started getting serious about exercise. That made a huge difference because I can look back and see how far I have come. It helps me on days when I am not motivated because I don’t ever want to go back to that. If you are going to start an exercise program I highly recommend taking photos before hand so you can look back on them and keep pushing yourself forward.

8. New Clothes- Being able to fit into clothes and not feel uncomfortable with the way I look in them is a great motivator for me.

9. Avoiding the feeling I have when I don’t workout- When I don’t workout I struggle. My body drags, I am tired and I seem to be a lot less productive. So on days when my motivation lags I think of how unproductive and gross I feel when I don’t workout.

10. Increase confidence- Even when you have not reached your goals yet but you are exercising regularly it seems to give you more confidence. Because you are taking care of yourself and making your health a priority your confidence is boosted.

I hope these tips help get you motivated. I would love to hear any other things that you do to get yourself motivated to exercise that I did not include here. Leave me a comment and let me know.

If you found this beneficial and know it would help other people please feel free to pass it on to your friends in social media.

Filed Under: Featured, Motivation

Why Exercise Is Important for Weight Loss

October 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Why Exercise Is Important for Weight Loss

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, you may be in the process of developing a weight loss plan for yourself. For many individuals, a weight loss plan is a guide that they can follow and one that may help to give them motivation. If this is your first time developing a weight loss plan for yourself, it is important that you place a focus on exercise, as exercise is important component of weight loss.

Although it is nice to hear that exercise is an important part of a weight loss plan, you may be wondering exactly why that is. For your body to lose weight, you must see a reduction in your calorie intake. The amount of calories that you need to reduce, in order to lose weight, will all depend on your current weight and your hopeful weight loss goal. Unfortunately, this is where many individuals automatically assume that they can’t eat three meals a day and many actually just stop eating. This is not only dangerous to your health, but it can be deadly.

Instead of reducing your calorie intake by solely limiting the amount of foods that you eat, you can use exercise to your advantage. By exercising, you burn off calories. These are calories in which your body can use to help you lose weight. If you have a specific weight loss goal, like one that involves losing at least twenty pounds, you may want to focus on fun exercises or workouts, but also ones that burn the most calories. Adding exercise to your weight loss plan is a natural and a healthy way to lose weight.

Since it is important to incorporate to exercise into your weight loss plan, you may be wondering how you can go about doing so. In all honestly, there are an unlimited number of ways that you can go about using exercise to help you lose weight. For starters, you can buy a collection, even just a small collection, of exercise equipment. Exercise equipment can include items such as exercise balls, weights, a treadmill, a stair climber, and so forth. Even if you have limited financial resources, you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces that are within your budget.

Although you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces, including instructional workout DVDs, for affordable prices, you may be looking to limit your weight loss plan investments. If that is the case, you may want to take the time to examine your local gyms or fitness clubs. While some fitness clubs and gyms have relatively high membership fees, you can also find a number of them with affordable membership rates. It is also important to mention that many fitness clubs and gyms are open accommodating hours, often making it easy to exercise before work, after work, or even during a lunch break of yours.

Despite the fact that exercise is often associated with exercise equipment, like a treadmill, that is not all that exercise is about. Exercise can also involve something simple like going for a walk or taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. If you would prefer to exercise, for free, in your spare time, you may want to consider finding an exercise buddy. This is a person who can workout with you, even if it just involves walking around your local shopping mall. Not only can you make a new friend or strengthen your relationship with one of your current friends, having an exercise buddy or an exercise partners often means that you are more likely to stick with your weight loss plan and achieve your weight loss goals.

As outlined above, it is extremely important that you incorporate exercise into your weight loss plan, especially if you are serious about losing weight and wish to do so in a healthy matter. With multiple ways to go about incorporating exercise into your weight loss plan, there really isn’t any excuse for not doing so.

Filed Under: Exercise, Featured Tagged With: Exercise, weight loss

Can You Really Eat Healthy at a Restaurant?

October 14, 2010 By 1 Comment

Can You Really Eat Healthy at a Restaurant?

If you and your family love to eat at restaurants, you may think that this lifestyle is not good for a healthy diet. In many cases, you would be correct. However, you can still enjoy restaurants occasionally and maintain your healthy diet. Its all about making good food choices, which starts with learning about the nutrition you need to stay happy, physically healthy, mentally stable, and active.

When you pick up the menu, start by skipping over the drink section. Although you may be tempted to enjoy a beer or mixed beverage with your dinner, these usually have many empty calories, which is not good for your body. The exception to this rule when it comes to alcohol is wine, especially red wine, which can be fine if you have a single glass and can actually help prevent heart disease for some patients.

Also skip over the appetizer menu, unless it’s to over a side salad. The appetizers at restaurants are usually high-fat foods that are not meant to fill you up and can in fact make you crave even more high fat foods. Examples of these are mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and wings. Instead, simply focus on your main course or, if you must indulge, share a single serving with the entire table of people.

When choosing your main dish, it is of course important that you look at the ingredients of the dish. Anything with cream sauces or high-fat meats should be avoided, and pass up the potatoes or onion rings. Instead over side dishes like vegetables or ask for just the main course when possible.

Remember too that portion is everything. Order off of the lunch menu whenever you can, and ask for a doggie bag right away. Split your meal in half from the start so that you are not tempted to eat the entire thing, which is usually enough for two or three portions.

At the end of your meal, stick over the desert menu, just like you did with the appetizers. Again, you can share a single desert with the entire table if you feel compelled to order something, or split your portion in half. Many fancy desserts are restaurants have more calories than your entire meal, so keep this in mind before you flag down the waitress to put in an order! Of course, on special occasions, it’s alright to cheat a little, but overall healthy eating requires lots of resisting temptation around you.

Filed Under: Featured, Nutrition Tagged With: eating out, healthy eating at restaurants

Top 10 Inspirational Fitness Films

January 26, 2010 By 1 Comment

Top 10 Inspirational Fitness Films
By Steve Edwards
Film_Reela
Oh, magical cellulite cure of celluloid!

One of the reasons we go to the movies is their ability to transport us to another time or place. They’re like an amusement park ride with costumes. Beyond pure escapism, they also have the power to motivate. Since films compress time, we get to see the effects of great acts without having to do them ourselves. But movies also have the power to transcend their medium and become part of our real world. For better or for worse, they’ve become the strongest educational and motivational tools we have.

Enter the sports film. Since the day we first saw Rocky Balboa running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Hollywood has been trying to upstage him. Prior to this time, a “sports” movie needed social relevance. After watching the Rock go 15 rounds with the champ, and then to the Oscars, they realized this was no longer the case. A sports film needn’t be “serious.” If it made you leave the theater wanting to cheer, it was a job well done and money in the bank.

This article, though, is about fitness and not sports. So let’s focus on films that will make you want to be fit. The Natural is a great sports film but it’s unlikely that the subsequent trips to the batting cages are going to change your waistline. These films should make you want to burn calories, sculpt your body, and chug raw eggs for breakfast. Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

So without further ado—drumroll, please—here are the top fitness movies of all time.

Without Limits (1998) The story of American running legend Steve Prefontaine is great on many levels, with plenty of social relevance, but it’s also tough to watch without feeling like “going out for an easy 10.” A biography and, hence, not a definitive sports film, you can’t help but feel Pre’s passion to run and, even more, push his body to the brink of its limits.

Best training moment you might miss: The scene where he tries on some prototype shoes and doesn’t come back for hours.

Quote: “Is there anything worse than coming in second?”

Other films in genre: There are many films about running or runners. Here are some you may have missed: The Jericho Mile (1979), On the Edge (1985), and Personal Best (1982).

Hoosiers (1986) This story of a small-town basketball team that overachieves (not wanting to give too much away) is often considered the best sports movie of all time. While it’s not a definitive training film, it’s hard to watch it and not feel like doing something. It does have the “anything is possible” message going for it. Plus, it’s true.

Best training moment you might miss: Jimmy Chitwood shooting around at sunset, even though he’s vowed not to play.

Quote:”I’ll make it.”

Other films in genre: There are a ton of good hoop films. Don’t miss Coach Carter (2005), One on One (1977), and Soul in the Hole (1998).

Blue Crush (2002) Though marketed as “hot chicks in bikinis” fluff, this is a hardcore sports film. It’s formulaic, in a Top Gun-sorta way, but the main character is driven, conflicted, and well played by Kate Bosworth. It also gives a decent account of what it’s like trying to follow a dream of living as a surfer in Hawaii.

Best training moment you might miss: Don’t walk in late. The opening scene is worth the price of admission alone.

Quote: “Train Hard. Go Big.” Not actually said, but written on the protagonist’s mirror in lipstick.

Other films in genre: An embarrassing genre from the Hollywood perspective (Gidget, Ride the Wild Surf, Point Break). Big Wednesday (1978) is the lone gem, and it’s not really about surfing. Instead, rent the documentaries Riding Giants (2004) and Endless Summer (1966).

Goal! (2005) A young Mexican kid living illegally in L.A. is seen by a scout and gets a chance to try out with a Premier League soccer club. Simple plot, with obvious tension-building elements, moving towards huge obstacles to overcome while surmounting incalculable odds—now THIS is a sports movie! It also happens to be well acted, well shot, and the characters are not necessarily stereotypical. An easy film to watch that will assure you that your life could be harder and that you should make the most of it.

Best training moment you might miss: Like I said, it’s an obvious film, but there’s a scene where he’s practicing on the beach that evokes his passion for soccer, which makes a nice contrast to all the more overt face-down-in-the-muck sort of stuff.

Quote: “I don’t know where home is.” “Yeah, ya do. It’s green an’ it’s got a goalpost at each end.”

Other films in genre: Though soccer is the most popular sport in the world, we don’t have much to choose from. Notables include Bend It Like Beckham (2002), A Shot at Glory (2000), and Victory (1981).

Enter the Dragon (1973) Before Hollywood figured out sports films, it figured out people would watch movies if the stars were fit. The guy they learned it from was Bruce Lee. This low-budget film out of Hong Kong pretty much changed American film and created a brand-new genre, the martial arts film. Actually, when you think about how commonplace martial arts are, it pretty much changed the world. Anyway, Bruce Lee only made a few films and this, by far, is the best. If it doesn’t make you desire greater fitness, nothing will.

Best training moment you might miss: It’s impossible to miss any training moments in this film.

Quote: “Don’t think. Feel. It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”

Other films in genre: Oh, about a million. Most unwatchable but virtually all feature a lot of training. Pick your favorite beefcake. Here are three you probably haven’t seen: Drunken Master II (1994), Iron Monkey (1993), and Billy Jack (1971). Unfortunately, women don’t really have their own role model in the U.S. but Cynthia Rothrock was a big star in Hong Kong for years. Check with Netflix and pick those with the best ratings.

Pumping Iron (1977) This documentary did two things: it made bodybuilding a mainstream activity and made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star. It’s both interesting and motivating to see these guys, who were basically fitness test pilots, devoting their lives to what, at the time, was an esoteric pursuit with little chance of fame or reward.

Best training moment you might miss: When Arnold walks onto the stage, looking serious, and slowly breaks into a grin. This is a guy at the top of his game.

Quote: “Remember, if you are training hard, he may be training twice as hard. You just gotta keep coming back stronger.”

Other films in genre: Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985). Not a real popular genre, though I guess you could add any sword-and-sorcerer movie to this list. At least these guys found a way to make money after all that time in the gym.

Breaking Away (1979) A film about how a group of working-class kids’ lives change when one of them wins a bike and starts to win races. A great film, that’s not really about training, but has many outstanding training scenes. Paul Dooley, as Dave’s father, nearly steals the show. Not to be missed, training or no training.

Best training moment you might miss: Riding the rollers and eating an apple in the car wash. Don’t try this at home!

Quote: “I know I-tey food when I hear it! It’s all them “eenie” foods . . . zucchini . . . and linguini . . . and fettuccine. I want some American food, dammit! I want French fries!”

Other films in genre: American Flyers (1985). Other than that, we’re still waiting for the movie about Major Taylor. Maybe rent some old Tour de France videos or, if completely jonesing for some velo action, try Quicksilver (1986) or Rad (1987).

Chariots of Fire (1981) Film about some British runners that won the Oscar for Best Picture. A great film in many ways, but it will inspire even the most sedentary of us to run, “like the wind”

Best training moment you might miss: Not training, but motivation for training, is when Abrams is sitting in the stands after losing and visualizing the race he’d just lost.

Quote:”When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.”

Other films in genre: See Without Limits.

Rocky (1976) Yeah, sure, we all make fun of the Rock now. But remember that back before those Roman numerals, Mr. T, Ivan Drago, and when the culminating scene of the movie was a bar fight, Rocky was the quintessential American hero. Now we have The Contender, American Idol, and a bunch of other reality shows that try and create a real-life Rocky. Well, I knew Rocky Balboa. And those shows are no Rocky. Adriaaaaaan!

Best training moment you might miss: Rocky running up the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Just kidding.

Quote: “He doesn’t know it’s a damn show! He thinks it’s a damn fight!”

Other films in genre: There are a lot of great boxing movies and all feature a lot of training. However, most of them aren’t great endorsements of the sport. Three great boxing films that won’t make you want to step into a ring with Apollo Creed anytime soon are Raging Bull (1980), The Harder They Fall (1956), and Fat City (1972).

Vision Quest (1985) Quirky film about a wrestler trying to cut weight so he can challenge a guy nobody else can beat. It had too many offbeat characters to become a mainstream hit, but no movie conveys motivation like Vision Quest. If you think dieting is hard, watching Louden Swain run around Spokane in a rubber suit and not eat while trying to fight off opponents, nosebleeds, and raging teenage hormones is just the “my life doesn’t seem so bad” accountability you’re looking for. You’re on a Vision Quest, man!

Best training moment you might miss: I doubt you’ll miss it but when Louden warms up for his big match then busts through the doors to the cheering audience, it makes me want to train until I pass out. In fact, I think I’ll go watch it right now.

Quote: “It’s not about the six minutes. It’s what happens in those six minutes.”

Other films in genre: None; probably why it’s not more popular.

Filed Under: Exercise, Featured Tagged With: Fitness, Fitness movies

My Top 10 Favorite Sports Quotes

January 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

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