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[sunseenli]

Originally Posted by MetalArtisan

I think we tend to get stuck in this idea that our physical form is immutable, and we must simply accept the body that was dealt us by fate, as though at random. It's really not the case; we change every day, and it's a matter of choosing the direction of change.

I agree with this so much. I can't tell you how many of my friends use "Well, we're all getting older" as an excuse to let themselves go. Yes, we are getting older. Yes, it takes more exercise to keep fit, as opposed to when we were in high school and eat French fries for lunch every day and not gain an ounce. But it's not impossible.

[chupachan]

Whenever you're trying to change your body you should remember that you're not fighting it. You shouldn't be seeing your workout as a chore but as an opportunity to get stronger and faster. As silly as it sounds, every time I watch an action or horror movie it inspires me to train harder, because I can't help but imagine myself in that situation, haha. But if trying to imagine how you would measure up in a fist fight against Bane doesn't motivate you, remember to love your body and the amazing things it can do.

[aeon_mistress]

I make myself weigh myself, I hate the scales but love the feeling of satisfaction when it tells me I've lost some. Also as said, look at pics of cosplays you want to do. At the moment I'm not going for anything small or skimpy. I keep thinking of how I need to work on my legs for Celes (FF6 Yellow Outfit) or my stomach for Tifa (FF7 advent children).

Even for my main cosplay that I'm going to start on soon (Georg Prime- Suikoden V). It's fully covered and rather baggy so nothing's being shown so I think to myself "Come on! He's a knight! He's going to be in good shape".

Also, I agree with music, part of my workout is (and I hate to admit this) the cheesy just dance games on the wii. I set it to shuffle and play music I like through youtube and make a fool of myself "dancing" around. Seems to be working at the moment

[MetalArtisan]

I've had better luck with audiobooks than music for motivating myself to keep working. I've definitely had days where I stayed at the gym and kept exercising just because I was so curious what would happen next.

[RainingEri]

MetalArtisan, I should totally try the audio book thing. I don't read as many books as I'd like to anymore anyways and it does seem like a good motivator for something like me.

"Oh, what, I've hit two miles? But... but I can't stop yet, I have to finish this chapter!"

[MetalArtisan]

Originally Posted by RainingEri

MetalArtisan, I should totally try the audio book thing. I don't read as many books as I'd like to anymore anyways and it does seem like a good motivator for something like me.

"Oh, what, I've hit two miles? But... but I can't stop yet, I have to finish this chapter!"

It's great. I remember going on a 12 mile ride just because I was at the end of A Dance With Dragons, and REALLY wanted to know how it would turn out.

[Seismogenic]

I use a calorie/exercise tracking app, and I treat it as a game/challenge that I have to beat.
You set a goal weight and an amount you want to lose per week, and it calculates how many calories you're allowed per day based on that, your height, and your current weight. If you exercise more, you can eat more that day.

If you go over that amount, it turns red and has a negative sign and looks generally angry. But if you eat too little, it also gets mad. So, the challenge and the game is to stay within that sweet spot where the app isn't angry. If I blow it one day, I have to make up for it by staying in the green for the rest of the week and by exercising extra to counteract the overeating. Winning the game each week is avoiding red negative signs!

Wanting to keep my app from being mad at me has definitely kept me honest, even if it's a sign I'm perhaps too dependent on technology.

(In terms of exercise motivation beyond that, I concur with everyone who has said that you need to find an activity you enjoy. The gym itself can be pretty boring!)

[sarg3_5laught3r]

I wake up every morning and do my morning pullups, listening to and chanting this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBxyw...eature=related

It reminds me of what my cosplay goal for January is.

[Vicky.Bjorn]

My biggest motivation is looking at some fitspo pictures on Tumblr ... and thinking by myself how much I would want to look like that too (or keep looking like that because I'm pretty much at my goal weight/body now)



EDIT: I also keep track of my calorie intake and exercise with an app on my phone (Noom)

[Slapthefatcat]

My recent motivation is to look at myself and imagine what it would be like to be at my fittest. It works wonders.

[redfirerick]

I have a few things that motivate me. I sent dates for weddings , cons and cosplay photoshoots I want to attend. I have pictures posted of cosplays I want to do and I also purchase clothes that are the size that I want to get to and try em on every two weeks and it motivates me. But everyone is different.

[glassbutterfly]

Crap, I've recently been careless about my eating habits and now I gained weigh. But that's not even the worst part, I was having sharp/stabbing pains on the right of my chest side one day. I haven't checked with my doctor since it's been gone this past week. From binging on sugary snacks to going on all beef diet, I realized that I can't afford to eat whatever I want without developing some problems within my body. That is motivation enough for me to fix my eating habits and hopefully I can get back on track to living healthy.

[Danteisagenius]

Honestly, I go on this website and read all of the posts about how and why people are shapping up; like this thread for example! And to go along with that, it helps that my sister is also trying to get in shape; it gives me a secret contest to try and win that she doesn't really know about. Then of course, there's what most here say; my character is ripped, so I sort of look to him ( but NOT his eating habbits!).

[mechaboy07]

I watch workout montage videos on youtube. When I hear or see others work hard or push themselves I feel I should do the same. That and the speeches that are in some of the videos are just to awesome.

[IoSono]

I click on this Tumblr, and I think about the pounds I've already shed. I also usually only workout for 20 mins a day, which is long to enough to count as a workout and short enough to keep my short attention span in check.