Lots of little things, but as you say the idea finally boils down to this:
I am living a life that reflects what I believe to be true. (Yeah, it's in my sig.)
I firmly believe that the human body is made to get up and move. So I do that, as often as possible. I believe that we are made to slow down and sleep when the sun goes down, and wake up when it comes up. So I guard my sleep. I ardently believe that 90% of the food out there is food the body has no use for, food the body is confused and baffled by. If I don't believe my body can use it, I don't eat it.
This has been a long, long time in coming, and has been a source of much internal angst that I have been unable/unwilling to see. I've been living with a sense of disappointment in myself for a very long time, and I never understood why. Then suddenly, about 2 months ago now, I was talking with some friends of mine about what I believe to be true, and it all just snapped into consciousness. Everything flipped around, as it were. In the 9 months leading up to that point, I had painfully struggled to scrap 23 of the 114 pounds I have to lose off. In the 6 weeks since, I've dropped
13 pounds. And the internal shame is gone.
So, what motivates me? Living according to what I believe. Whereever my body settles, I will know I have a body that reflects that. And that makes me happy and satisified, in the core of me.