How to stay motivated to exercise?

We all have obstacles to exercise, whether it's lack of motivation to exercise, busy schedules, or adopting a harmful "all or nothing" mentality. Exercise looks different to each person, and we all have different ways of honoring our commitment to exercise. The following habits may be hindering your workout, but there are ways to overcome them.

Even the hardest exercisers don't always feel like getting out of bed at 5:30 to work out. It's not wanting exercise that gets them out of bed, but a combination of routine, discipline, and persistence.
Usually, we wait for the motivation to exercise, but often the exercise itself precedes the motivation to do it. Committing to something more often can come before you feel motivated, and that's okay.
Instead of waiting to feel like exercising, motivate yourself. Reward yourself at the end of your workout: a new book to read or an evening out.
Write your goal on a piece of paper and put it on your alarm clock or your car's steering wheel. That prompt might be enough to get you started, which is always the hardest part.
Don't skip your workout. Before giving up, ask yourself some questions. Will you regret your decision? How will you make up for that missed workout? Don't let yourself get lost until you've made a sensible decision.
Make sure you're doing the exercises that work for you. Evaluate your workout routine and make sure you enjoy what you're doing. There's no way to make you workout if you hate it.

When we fail during exercise, we often respond by asking ourselves to fix it, and we have to get over it quickly. And how do you fix that? Sometimes we cram all the exercises into making exercise feel like torture.
This makes you fail even more. If you try to maintain an impossible level of fitness, you will be more prone to burnout, injury and of course more failure.
Instead of trying to exercise beyond your ability, think of things that work better for you, like running a marathon, not a sprint.
You will make real progress, if you take the time and gradually build up to the right intensity of exercise.
Keep exercise simple. Don't let guilt drive your workout. Instead, establish a program that works for your current fitness level, not your previous fitness level. If you only take a week or two off, you can go back to tapering off your previous exercises. If it's been weeks, months, or years, start with a basic walking program a few times a week and an easy full-body strength routine before starting to work out more.
Hire a coach. If you've ever started and stopped exercising, this may be a good time to call your former professionals. You may just need some tweaks to your program or some new ideas for how to exercise and stick with it.

Many people when they first start exercising, have set an unrealistic goal. It seems that exercising diligently and limiting your calories for a week or two will result in significant weight loss. Reality is often less of what you expect.
Sometimes, nothing makes much progress (at least outwardly) except for muscle pain and frustration. Sometimes it's even worse, you can actually gain weight. This is usually temporary, but still nothing more enjoyable than the actual experience.
Set fitness goals that are appropriate to your current ability. Especially if you hope to lose weight, it's important to be realistic.
Set measurable goals. You can't always predict how much weight you'll lose each week. Forget about weight loss and look at results you can measure and control. Example: Complete a certain amount of exercise each week or work out at a certain intensity.
Know that exercise is not magic. There is no shortcut to weight loss. It takes more exercise and more time to lose weight. In fact, it can take up to a year to see real changes, simply because it often takes a long time to learn how to overcome obstacles in your life.
Accept that you cannot control every aspect of weight loss. You can control your diet, exercise, stress and sleep management, but you can't control your age, gender, and genes. Keep an exercise schedule and check your workouts, then celebrate each week you accomplish your goals.

We can all come up with countless reasons to give up exercise, and they all seem important. We are too busy, we are tired, or we really need to clean the house. Oddly enough, people who exercise have the same problems and obligations, but somehow they still manage to exercise every day.
Make yourself an exerciser, instead of an exercise avoider. Look for opportunities to exercise, instead of excuses not to exercise. If you're short on time, try lunchtime workouts, shorter, more intense workouts, or break up your workouts.
Change your negative thoughts about exercise. If your workout was just another obligation, would you be excited to do it? But what if your workout is an opportunity to take some quiet time for yourself? Or some time to watch your favorite TV show while on the treadmill or lifting weights? Beautify your workout time in a more positive way and you'll be more willing to do it.
Be honest with yourself. As you're lying in bed, negotiating with yourself about whether or not to work out, ask yourself this: Do you really work harder after work or tomorrow to make up for it? Part of creating an exercise routine is committing to it no matter the situation.

Buying a machine or a gym membership or even hiring a trainer won't magically make exercise any easier.
If you want to change your weight, body composition or health, you will need to work out hard. Don't let the workout challenge put you off.
If you want to lose weight, be realistic about how much exercise you need. Most people exercise for at least an hour a day, most days of the week, to lose and/or maintain weight loss.
Also be realistic about your physical level. How much you can really do depends on your schedule and also on your fitness level. Even if you have the time, your body may only be able to handle 20 or 30 minutes of exercise at a time. Think about what you can mentally and physically handle and start there. You can add more workouts over time.
Understand that exercise will be uncomfortable. People who exercise regularly will find it easy, but it's not. If you want to change your body, you have to get out of your comfort zone. It won't be comfortable, but understanding the difference between good pain and bad pain will help you figure out what's normal and what's not.

We often think we'll wait to exercise until the kids go back to school or get out of school. Either we wait until after the holiday or after we change jobs or after the wedding. If you think that way, the perfect moment will never come.
Stop procrastinating. Just like getting married, having a baby, or cleaning out the basement, there's never a perfect time. So let's get started now. Put on a pair of shoes and go for a walk, and you've exercised.
Work with your life as it is now. We always wait for things to settle down, but when does that really happen? Don't try to change your schedule to accommodate the workout. Instead, try a workout that fits into your schedule, even if it's just 10 minutes at a time.
Focus on healthy lifestyle. The phrase "healthy lifestyle" is overused, but it's the perfect phrase to describe the behaviors you need to focus on to actually lose weight: Exercise, but also a balanced diet. equal, nutritious; get enough sleep ; and stress management.

If there is one thing that is certain in life, it is that we will fail at something and we will certainly fail at exercise. You simply cannot expect to be able to exercise all the time. There will be occasions when you are sick, injured, exhausted, on vacation, or experiencing something else that forces you to temporarily abandon your exercise program.
The secret is not in trying to be perfect, but in spending the times in your life when you can't work.
Forgive yourself. Most of us try to exercise after quitting, but you may find yourself making more progress if you truly forgive yourself.
Do it better. Remind yourself that this is just an exercise. It's not brain surgery, rocket science or anything that can kill anyone if you don't perfect it all the time.
Get back on track and continue. It's hard to come to terms with our bodies after a long break from exercise and for that reason, some of us choose to give up. Eventually, you'll need to get back to training. Forget what you did wrong and focus on what you can do right, right now.

Thinking you'll just exercise whenever you have a period of almost never being active. If you had extra time, even though it never happened, would you really want to work out? Sure is not.
So how do you avoid this pitfall and stay motivated to exercise?
Plan your workouts in advance by specific deadlines. Sit down with your calendar and schedule your exercise time. Then, plan what you will do during that time. For example, if you only have 30 minutes, interval training may be the most effective exercise for you.
Prepare for your workout. It starts the night before when you organize everything you need for your workout: Clothes, snacks, water, iPod, and more.
Make it easier for you to exercise. Put your clothes by your bed, choose activities that are accessible and don't require a lot of preparation or equipment, join a gym on your way home or to work. Remove as many obstacles as you can to get you into training fast.
Be flexible. Many people have a rule about their workouts: They have to stay in this moment and stretch so and include this activity. If even one of those elements is not present, they may say "Guess I can't do it!". If your exercise doesn't work for you, change it up until it does.

Many people struggle with exercise and weight loss, but it's unfortunate that many of them struggle alone. It can take a lot of courage to admit that you're struggling, but doing so with the right people can make it easier.
Instead of exercising alone, finding support may be just what you need to keep going.
Ask for help. It's hard to lose weight, and it's even harder when you have friends or family against you. How can you eat carrot sticks when your spouse just brought home a huge pizza? Talk to your family about how they can help you, such as by eating a healthy dinner with you and saving pizza in your absence.
Find a support system. We can often find the best support from our friends and colleagues. That support system can give you motivation when you're about to give up, accountability when you're failing, and understanding when you're struggling.
Talk to an expert. Many people shy away from hiring a coach or nutritionist for help. Maybe it's the cost or maybe you're embarrassed to talk about how far you have to go with a stranger. Fortunately, professionals can only help people with these problems when they get paid.

We like to use guilt and shame to motivate ourselves to exercise, but it often backfires. When you're not perfect, you feel bad about yourself and can turn to eating to feel better.
There's nothing wrong with having a party every now and then, but if you've always comforted yourself with emotional eating, it's time to take a fresh approach.
Get some perspective. Imagine telling your failure story to a trusted friend. They'll say, "You know, you're really trying. Maybe you should give up"? Sure is not. Imagine what you would say to a friend in your situation and then say it to yourself.
Reduce pressure. When you make a mistake, your first instinct may be to panic. Ignore that instinct and remind your inner critic that you are allowed to make mistakes. Give yourself all the opportunities you need to succeed, no matter how many you lose.
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