Every morning when I do my cardio I try to distract my mind with music and projects and motivating thoughts. What keeps you people goin? Realistic or ridiculous I am really curious. Love, health, self esteem, bathing suit size, compliments, boredom, challenge?

I personally just want to look good naked, which I am very far from haha. Actually I'll settle for fell comfortable naked. That ties in with all that other self esteem stuff so you can imagine. That and a healthy mix of fear of heart disease and satisfaction in trying to be in my best health keep me goin

Hm. Good question. Well, my reasons have changed since starting my weight loss quest.
Before, exercise was something to be endured.. and the reasons for dieting were many and various, all related to a pitifully low self esteem.
Now, I still have days where I cry and decide not to go anywhere because I am too fat (laugh), they usually happen around the same itme every month.

But in the morning... I pinch my soft belly several times and kind of roll my eyes and think "Damnit, I have to get rid of this." Then I stretch my legs and rub the thighs and feel happy that they finally feel and look so good. Once I am actually out of bed and have downed the caffeine I love to work out. And if I don't, I do once I get into it. Weight training I always listen to music, but focus on the muscle. Cardio, I do it on a nearby mountain so the scenery is good enough, distraction and motivation.

OH! Lately, my biggest motivation was not wanting to go through the torture of weight training after not doing it for a while. Not the training, but the massive soreness for the following week.

Take care,
Meg

Howard Stern gets me up in the morning!!!!
He keeps my mind off of the cardio while im doing it.
People at the gym probably think Im crazy when all of a sudden I bust out laughing.
Also anygood music will keep me going during cardio. Also it helps if there is a nice looking female around me working out.
(I just need to get Balls to approach them)

Also what keeps me going is that I know this Diet works.

CKD rocks!!!

I didn't know you Northwestern folks dug the Beast from the East! lol In fact he may have been the only reason I got in my car to go to high school. Thanks for the early morning suggestion, now if I could only find a classic Walkman, one without a CD/MP3 player, just a simple AM/FM radio. Does Sony still make them? Off to E-bay!

Hell ya man.. Howard rocks....he is awsome.
I like Artie Lange his newer side kick.
I also like to listen to Tom Leykis.... Just for entertainment.
He is syndicated out of Ca. You should check him out at 3pm pst.

I have a Sony sport walkman. Has FM/AM weather and basic tv channels. Its worth the $50. Has a good stereo bass sound.



Later

Good post.

The initial motivation to wake up is my alarm clock. LOL. Then whatever thermogenic I am on takes over.

But, the thing that keeps me going when I don't want to is that I know I have to take the "end of cycle" pictures.

And now that I have a goal (a year away) to compete, THAT will get my butt out of bed/in the gym.

Once I am there, I wouldn't make it through without my MP3 player. It's small, it's loud, and I can swap out any song I am tired of with the push of the "delete" button. Plus, I don't have to shell out the $$ to buy a whole CD for 1 song that I like from a new group. LOL.

When I lift with Fern, we motivate each other. She's a good lifting partner ... motivating, keeps my form in check, but doesn't yell in my face. I never understood that about "hardcore" gyms. LOL.

my motivation; to get up at 5am to tighten up my butt and thigh
and to walk/run with guys that look like trainer dan ,almost naked no shirt and short shorts,it is a challenge to keep up with them but i do try and sometime they let me catch up, it good workout when they are around

I am one sick SOB. I started getting up at 4:45 a little over a week ago when i started back to the gym. The last two days i have been awake before the alarm clock and waiting for it to go off.

My biggest motivator has to be the feeling I get from the compliments that FOLLOW the working out! I went to my 20 year high school reunion last Saturday night, and a guy who rejected me for the Sadie Hawkins dance in 8th grade (see, guys, we remember everything!) ogled me and said "Wow! You look great!" Imagine the cartoon characters with eyes bugging out and tongue rolling across the floor--that was the look! I loved it. Shallow, I know, but that's what keeps me going!!

Fernie