What motivates me is seeing changes in my strength, endurance, and lung capacity. The scales moving down don't hurt, either!

I started running 3 months ago, and ran 5K for the first time a few weeks ago. That was a HUGE motivator for me. I just keep making up small, mini goals each time - like one week I want to go X amount further, the next week I want to cut X amount of time off my run... Also, I find participating in the monthly exercise challenge in this form REALLY helps. I *love* getting my minutes up there and will strive VERY hard to reach the goal I set for myself.

For some reason, whenever I watch girls next door! :p I mean I used to be able to look like that and now I'm just ho-hum looking. I liked that attention from strangers and so I manage 30 minutes of inspired workout lol.

Also my DH has been gone for a couple weeks (long story - nothing bad) so I've had no one to lay around all lazy with. And everytime I work out, the scale the next day moves a smidge more than yesterday so that helps too :D

I can totally relate to this, I hate going to bed feeling like I wasted the whole day with yucky foods and no exercise. I try to keep this in mind throughout the day, because I will get really depressed at night once everything has settled and I didn't do good that day.

I used to weigh every day, but then decided on once a week and that's actually what motivates me to exercise. I have seen big and small losses, and the big ones are always after I give exercising my all. So since I want to see good losses at the end of the week, I exercise to help make it happen. :)

this is probably awful but i am addicted to the show What Not To Wear and my sister promised she'd send a video of me in once i lost all 120 pounds and plead with Stacy and Clinton to give me a new, healthy makeover! that and the girls on america's next top model lol. my sister is also my motivation because she is very in shape and i want to out live her lmao :-D

The fact that I pay 27 bucks each month for my membership already forces me to do it. And I absolutely enjoy it.

I'm not much of a TV watcher, I had never seen an episode of Friends - so I bought the series collection and I have been watching them as I exercise. I only let myself watch if I'm doing my 1 hour cardio, otherwise it's off limits. I'm on Season 4 now!

before Friends I watched seasons 1, 2 3 of Deadwood and before that I watched seasons 5 & 6 of Sopranos.

It's the only time I watch TV - and the time flies so quick, sometimes I exercise longer so I can finish the episode or watch another!

What motivates me to exercise is pretty simple: I know it will help me lose weight faster and will give me the hot, athletic body that I'm aiming for.

It also makes me feel good physically, but for me, the biggest motivation is sheer vanity. I can't wait to be hot(ter?:lol:)

Initially the rush and feeling of finally making the commitment to myself to take care of my body. Like most others fantasizing about what my body would look like, 3FC of course and some Beyonce music videos, LOL. I've always liked working out, my problem has just been eating too much of the wrong things. I actually look forward to working out and fantasize about it (weird I know). I'm absoultely addicted to weight training as well and seeing the results, however minimal, in the beginning stages of my journey keep me motivated to go forward.

My tummy and other people keep me going! Looking at my belly depresses me. All my shorts and jeans are all in strange shapes because of it :lol:. Then when I see how well everyone else is doing, I feel like I'm not following the crowd (the getting healthy crowd ;) )

Found more motivation today!
LOL As I was riding the stationary bike at 5:30 this morning, not much was on TV (I watch TV on mute and listen to my iPod), so I landed on a Bowflex infomercial for half an hour. For some reason, it motivated me to work HARD!! Seeing the long, lean bodies (the long part of which will never be mine) made me want to prove I didn't need an expensive machine like that to do it, perhaps? LOL

I've been thinking about this question ever since I saw the thread start and I know what motivates me to want to exercise (pretty much everything menioned above actually!) but doing the exercise is hard for me... I'm just really lazy I guess, but I found my motivation! Once you've spent time and effort and in my case, money working out for the first time, if I don't do it again, I feel like I've wasted all of the input and motivation I mustered up into working out for the first time! I don't want to be that person I used to be, who eats well for a few days and goes to the gym a couple of times and then just gives up. Everytime I work out is motivation to work out again, to be the person who keeps going and really strives to reach her goals, who believes in becoming a different, healthier person and can be proud of her efforts to better herself. That and wanting to be fit for the skiing holiday I have planned for the winter, lol.

I don't get motivated, I just do it. Like brushing my teeth, like washing my face, like putting on a bra. It's just what I do. Sometimes I really feel like doing it, sometimes I don't, but I still do it. And the best part is that I always feel better afterwards.

I'm joining a gym today!! I hope all your motivations keep me wanting to go there often!!!