I have such trouble finding motivation to get up and do something physical. I know it's gotta be habit. I'm the same way with eating. To me, it's always been easier to eat what's terrible for me. What do you guys do to keep ever vigilant?

First...I tell myself that time is passing whether or not I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing and then I ask myself where do I want to be in 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. I can't say that I'm ever super motivated to go work out or eat right but I am committed. I have to get up and go to work every day, I have to pay my bills, I have to take my car to get serviced, I have to eat healthy and I have to go to the gym.

If I don't need some magic motivation to do all of the other things in my life that I don't feel like doing, I don't need it to work out or eat well. It's just something that needs to get done so I do it.

I hear you on that. It feels so much easier to head to the local drive-thru on the way home from work than it is to make something healthy, especially after a really hard day. Then I stop and think and have a talk with myself. (and I'm using today as an example because I really do want to stop at the drive-thru tonight) Yes, it might be easier to get that "Unhealthy Jumbo Deluxe with a side order of Junk" but the gross, I ate until I feel like I'll burst feeling isn't worth it for me. The extra sodium that leaves me bloated for what feels like days isn't worth it. I'm a bit tight on money at the moment, and reminding myself that I've already spent cash on perfetly good groceries that can be thrown together as a meal in probably the same amount of time that it would take to wait in line for my order helps a lot too. I remind myself that the $6.99 plus tax that I'm planning on spending now would be better set aside as money put towards next week's groceries.

As for habits, it took me a while to get into a routine of going to the gym. I pack a bag and leave it on the passenger side floorboards of my car with all my gear to act as a reminder. Then when I get home, I automatically re-load the bag and put it back in the car for the next day. The one time that I hadn't done it, I felt so out of sorts, like I knew there was something I needed to do, but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was until I realized that I hadn't packed my bag because the gym was scheduled to be closed that day due to a holiday.

Overall, I don't really use motivation very much for the long-term. I've decided that I'm going to get healthy and fit, which is sort of like applying for a job. Now that I've gotten that job, I have to show up every day, even when I don't really feel like it. I might use short-term motivation like an upcoming event to help me power through a new workout or get through extra time at the gym ("Come on, ten more push-ups! Just one more mile! You've got somewhere to be this weekend!") but that motivation only lasts up until the day of the event. In the long run, what keeps me going is this new lifestyle I've committed myself to.