Exercise is a do it yourself adventure. No one or anything in this world can do it for you but you. For that simple reason, it is very important to have motivating factors set in place so a person who begins to exercise will be a success.

People who want to lose weight and get into great shape should set realistic goals and take the baby steps to attain these goals. This is what I am meaning when I tell you that you need to set up your motivational factors to succeed. Setting unrealistic goals is setting you up for failure.

Some motivational factors for wanting to lose weight and exercise might be:

• related to our physical conditions
• wanting to lose weight
• to enhance your physique and appearance
• to get healthy

In the past 50 years, physical activity has become an exception to the rule, both at home and on the job. People tend to drive where others once walked, People tend to have remotes where they don't have to get up and turn on their electronics. They also have machines now that can do all the lifting pushing and hauling for them. We have become a lazy society.

People who are always dieting are always expecting to gain the weight back because they know that they aren't going to stick with it. I am all too familiar with this line of thinking. People are successful on low fat dieting and even get to feeling great about life. Then they tend to go back to their old eating habits and sedentary ways even though they were feeling wonderful and even enjoying exercise. Does this sound like you? Does this sound familiar?

We can stop this kind of behaviors! We have to set up the motivating factors to keep us from failing. There are great reasons to avoid excess pounds, reasons that go beyond vanity or social appearances. There are many great reasons to keep you motivated to exercise and to stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Ways to Keep Your Self Motivated:

• Have specific and realistic goals in mind. A simple statement like, "I want to lose some weight," is a very vague and unclear statement. It will not motivate you to exercise or lose weight. What is important is to be clear about your goals. It would be better if were more detailed in your goals. How much weight do you want to lose, set a realistic number? Visualize yourself at your desired weight. This will not only inspire you to reach your desired weight but it will be one of your biggest motivating factors. The idea is to use your realistic desired weight to assist you in remaining motivated and dedicated to yourself until you reach your goal.
• Develop a strategy of how you are going to reach your goals. Will power is only one source but it will not get you to your goal. To exercise and lose weight, your strategy must include both a well balanced eating plan and exercise. You have to utilize both at the same time in order to succeed. You can't do one or the other. As you near your goal, throw away all of your larger sizes, this will motivate you not to gain weight because you don't have any of the bigger size clothing in your closet to grow back in to.
• Be accountable to yourself. Plan ahead; plan your meals and your exercise around your lifestyle. Do what works for you and your body. Do what is good for you, you know how far you can go with exercising, and you also know when you are full. Getting healthy is a do it yourself job. No one knows you like you know yourself.
• Have a friend help you be accountable. Get a friend or a personal trainer to help you chart your progress. This will inspire you to keep going. Having a friend there to support you and to cheer you on is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Reach out and accept any support someone is willing to give you. No one can make you exercise or make you eat right but having a cheerleader in your corner can be huge motivating factor. It always helps if you have someone who believes in your success.
• Timeline. When will you achieve your weight loss goal and healthy body? Make an achievable goal of when you will reach your desired goal. One to two pounds a week is a great goal.

The bottom line is that in order to stay motivated to exercise entails a lot of very hard work. The main idea is that you will need to change your lifestyle and your habits. It won't be easy at first but once you get your motivating factors rolling, you will love life and choose thin and health!

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