How do you stay motivated?

[CMeyer2001]

I am one of those individuals that will do really well for a month or two and then fall off the wagon when life gets too busy.  While the Fitbit is a great device to help with motivation, what else do you do to help maintain your focus, drive, and motivation?

[fitSan]

My motivation usually slacks off due to boredom. I just hate doing the same thing everyday, it gets tedious. Fitbit tracks anything I decide to do (and for non step activities I use a heart rate monitor with digifit which gets added to my fitbit activities). It means I'm free to choose any activity I want, which means I do something different as soon as I get bored. Yesterday I did tap dancing LOL - something I haven't done before and it was really fun. I do boxing, yoga, walking, jogging, dancing, aerobics, cycling - anything that is fun.

[whome]

I think about my father dying at 69 y.o. - I think about my oldest brother having his first heart attack at 51 y.o. and the stents he has now, - I think about my other older brother and his totally avoidable adult onset (type 2) diabetes.

Helps keep me on the mostly straight and narrow

Craig

[Theresab]

Competition. I have several friends and family members that have fitbits. I feel like if I fall behind and let them get ahead of me, I have to work even harder.

[Nick17]

My way of staying motivated is finding something I like and being realistic about my goals.  For example, I don't like running, so I bike instead.  I make it a point to take a walk at lunchtime to get out of my office...way too much sitting on the job.   I also love to lift weights but I make sure I keep my workouts to around 45 minutes.  For me, keeping it moderate works well and fits into my schedule.

[ac7ss]

They are pushing SMART goals through work now.
Simple
Measurable
Attainable
Reasonable
Timely

"Losing 100 lbs" doesn't qualify.
"Walk 10,000 steps a day by Friday" can qualify. (But not if you are at 2,000 now)

"Eat less" Nope.

"Eat 5 servings of fruit today" Yep.

I am working at losing weight, (I have 60# before my first real goal) but my current goals are:
"Maintain 10,000+ steps a day"
"Follow C25K program this week" (Learning to run after 25 years.)

"Maintain current caloric intake" (~2,000 Kcal)

I hold myself accountable with co-workers and friends who are also on FitBit.

[Jabrat]

My buddy system - have kept at it and lost 50 pounds so far - look at it as a healthy lifestyle - on no blood pressure medication - and don't want to be on medication if I can prevent it - thats my motivation

[Jabrat]

I try to mix it up too - just not steps - I Zumba, do Yoga etc

[Pabby]

I have always been into fitness as a personal goal from a young guy: tree climbing, running. teen years: soccer, cycling, swimming, weight lifting in my 20's-30's, to now at 50+ cycling, distance walking. Basically I don't like doing nothing all day, thats just not me. My knee's are in rough shape, already had surgery on one so I'm limited to mostly walking now as my main fitness and a little easy cycling during the summer. Thanks to fitbit to help me make goals for myself. 

[loveabull]

I can't quite imagine being able to slack off. But I suppose for some folks exercise becomes a chore. Definitely to make it a daily habit you need to find activities that are fun for you personally. If you try some activities and they just don't work for you, be creative and find something else.

For example-I tried a swing dance class one time-love the music-but also discovered I have two left feet. I also tried yoga since so many people enjoy it. But no, not for me at all. The poses hurt and I realize I don't feel peaceful being all quiet and still.

Hiking enough miles to work up a sweat gets me relaxed and helps me free my mind. You have to find activity that you really look forward to doing to keep it a regular habit.

[HelenaFitbit]

My routine motivates me, stepping out of it and become a better person changing my plans is usually a way to go. I've been battling with depression for a long time, it has been tough and there are days when leaving the bed is a battle, but one of the things that I remember was my psych telling me: Do the oposite of what the voice of depression is telling you you can't or won't do. 

[Brifit4life]

same here, i like to follow fitness pages on instagram and i have a tumblr account and only follow fitness stuff.

[knels5]

I always feel better about my body and my life when I make time to workout. I feel like I am not only making myself healthier by sticking to a workout plan, but also my overall happiness is greater. Working out releases endorphins which naturally make you feel good. You should first decide what your body goals are. Whether it's to lose weight, gain muscle tone, become more flexible, improve cardiovascular health, or all of the above, there are many different types of exercises that can accomplish these goals. Coming up with a fitness plan (i.e how many days a week you'll workout, how much cardio you'll do vs weight lifting, which areas of the body you want to target the most) can help keep you motivated. If you have a workout schedule and you incorporate it into your daily routine, missing a workout can throw off your whole daily or weekly rhythm. Once you make it a habit, it feels wrong to not workout. Also, I find that working out on a regular basis and seeing results makes me want to eat healthier and make better food choices. Hope this helps! 🙂

[iamdan]

I can only agree with what many others here have stated:

Set small achievable goals then reset the goals.  It is easier to feel good about yourself when you reach a goal rather than feel failure if you didn't.  Seeing the light at the end of a tunnel is also motivating.  When you lost 3 pounds out of a goal of 5 you feel more motivated to get that last two rather than seeing a weight loss of 3 pounds when your goal is 50 lbs.  Just reach that 5 pound goal several times!

Also think back to why you are doing this.  You don't want that weight back or that health issue to still be there.  Don't just think about motivation as about going forward.  Also think about it as not going backward.