I meet so many people that tell me how hard it is to get off their butt and get to the gym or go for a jog. And you know what? YEAH – it’s hard for me too! Even though I love working out – I have MANY days (like at least once a week) where I have to talk myself into a work out. Why? It’s WORK!!!

How do I manage to get myself to a gym on those really hard days? It’s pretty simple – I pretty much force myself! The benefits outweigh anything I can come up with so it’s kinda a no brain-er. But a no brain-er that needs some serious convincing by my inner voice!

Here are a few thoughts I tell myself during my time of need:

• I don’t think about the during, I imagine the finish.
• I remind myself how good I will feel after I’m done.
• I remind myself how quick it will be (even though it may not feel that way during). *If it’s really ‘one of those days’ I only commit to 20 minutes. If I get a burst and I workout longer- Bonus for me.
• I compare how I will feel at the end of what I could be doing to how I will feel at the end of a workout. Workout (MOST OF THE TIME) wins.

The bottom line is this: EVERYONE has a hard time motivating themselves. EVEN ME! So next time you’re contemplating going to the gym versus sitting in front of your t.v don’t think of the work it takes to ‘run the race” think of how great you’ll feel at the finish line!

My advice – give yourself a pep talk. We all need a good one every now and again or we would never get anything that’s not so fun done!