Whether it's for diet or exercise, do you have any tricks that get/keep you motivated?

I've found that when I read articles or the forum at Runners World, it really gets me in the mood to exercise.

I'm grateful to have such a reliable stimulus because I sure need something to snap me out of the slothful ways I easily fall into.

How about you?

Walmart brand Slim Fast help me stay on track all day. Which puts me in the mood to workout. I have been very motivated for a couple of weeks now. I also bought a ski machine at the thrift shop for $20. I am much more motivated to use that then the elliptical. I also am cutting down on my sodium. I am really seeing progress.

Man, that's a great deal. I need to spend more time in thrift shops.

I can relate to how when the diet goes well, exercise follows. I'm the same, but in reverse. When I exercise consistently, it gets much easier for me to be consistent with lower calories.

Congrats on the progress!

Yeah I'm that way sometimes. If I exercise for the day I'm more motivated to watch what I eat.

On the first day I started working to lose weight, I drew up a colorful reminder of that goal, with the number big and bold in the middle and space to write the date on which I reached that goal. Then whenever I hit a milestone or if I just lost something (ANYthing) since the previous weigh-in day, I wrote up the date and how much I weighed somewhere in the white space on that paper, also in bright, fun colors. I kept that posted on the wall where I could see it every day (not hard, since I live in a one-room apartment! ).

Initially I did it so I was looking straight at it while I was exercising, so it was a motivational reminder of why I was torturing myself every day. Now that I'm enjoying exercise more, it's a feel-good way for me to motivate myself to reach the next goal! I've made three of them now for each of my big goals, and I've still got the two old ones posted elsewhere. It feels good to see those and remember how far I've come.

To exercise? Putting on workout clothes and listening to my favorite song of the moment.

To cook/wash dishes? Watching a show on my laptop in the kitchen while I'm cooking that I don't watch otherwise.

For me, reading articles about health helps, same as for Chunkahlunkah

Thanks Keika, dawnlouise, and myst!

I like the art idea. Visuals can really help, especially when they're fun and artistic. I'm too shy to write my weight on my wall but I could modify that idea, maybe by charting pounds lost each month and watching the bar grow.

Coupling favorite entertainment with healthy activity has been v effective for me in the past. For me, I'd walk on the treadmill while listening to favorite podcasts. I should do something like that again.

Something that keeps me really into healthy eating is tracking my fiber grams and keeping them high (while also limiting my net carbs to a moderate amount). I guess I could qualify as being a numbers-driven person.

As far as exercise is concerned, friends to share the experience and a little competition.

If I waited to be "in the mood" for exercise I'd never do it. I do it because I've scheduled it into my calendar and I don't break dates with myself. By the time I start my workout I'm always in the mood.

TheMeIwant2be - That's great; what types of exercise do you and your friends do?

Palestrina - I'm certainly not advocating waiting for the mood to strike to exercise. That would be a recipe for disaster. I'm a big believer in making healthy living as automatic as possible, through commitment and routine. I think that's by far the most effective way to make it a lifestyle. Now that I think more about it, probably my biggest motivator is simple momentum. The longer I'm living that lifestyle, the more I want to keep doing so. Still, some immediate things put me in the mood to exercise. It's a great feeling!

Music! Music motivates me to exercise, which includes walking and some stretching and back exercises that I have incorporated into my day. I will listen to music that motivates me to get moving.

For me, it's a combination of two things: upbeat, even danceable music and workout clothes and shoes! Once I've got the outfit on, I'd really feel like working out. Put the music on and I'm ready to go!