Motivation & Accountability

Happy NFL Playoff Divisional Weekend! For those who don't know, we're pretty into the NFL around here - I'm not really sure what I am going to do with my weekends once it's over! (Maybe actually get something done around the house?) Annnnnd Go NC State! I didn't watch the game today since we don't have cable, but we kept the phones on autoupdate while we were running errands. If I was a good fan, I would have gone somewhere to watch it... but 5 seasons of not being able to see many NC State games will take a little of the devotion out of you I guess.

Anyway, the last few days have been pretty typical. After my post on Wednesday, I wasn't able to do my 8 mile run because it never stopped raining. Usually I would run on the treadmill since I don't like to get off my schedule, but 8 miles on the treadmill just didn't sound good. I should have though, because it looks like it is going to be raining all day tomorrow, and I couldn't do my long run today because I did 8 miles Thursday and a fast 3 last night and my legs were super sore. So it could be 12 miles on the treadmill tomorrow - oh well! Netflix will help me make it through.

It can definitely be easy to put off exercising on a rainy day, or just a long day at work, etc, etc. I'm sure you guys struggle with this too. One of the ways I hold myself accountable is similar to what I did with weight loss - planning everything in advance! Recently, this has meant that I've been following a specific training plan for my races. Way back in June, I put together a weekly training plan through the marathon in February. But, you don't have to make a plan that spans months and months (especially if you aren't targeting a specific race or distance). Making a weekly plan (like I do with meal planning) can be just as effective. Some things to consider:

• What are your goals for exercising? (i.e. calories burned, minutes spent exercising, etc.)
• What days will exercise best fit into your schedule? What time of day?
• What other things can you move around or reschedule to make it easier to fit the exercise in?
• Do you need to include any rest days?
• Is there anything specific about this week that needs special consideration vs. previous weeks?

For example, since I am currently training for the marathon, my goal is to run 4 times a week, with distances prescribed by a training plan I found online. I don't have many standing commitments on the weekdays, so any day is good for me - but I definitely need to do my workouts in the evenings because I am not a morning person. Since my training plan has fairly long runs on Wednesday, Sam typically cooks Wednesday so I am not totally crunched for time. I always plan a rest day after my long weekend run, and usually the day before also. So my weekly schedule is to run Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If I have a conflict on one of the weekdays, I'll slide Friday in instead.

Knowing my weekly schedule means I'm mentally prepared for what is coming up, and I think that make me less likely to skip out or do less. It's important to think of it as a commitment and not an optional activity - your health should be a priority!

Another thing that helps is to make your workouts fun whenever possible! Work out with a friend, put upbeat playlists on your iPod or find a podcast that you like and only listen to it when you workout. One thing that works for me is having bright colored workout clothes! Sounds silly, but it's a lot of fun to get to wear ridiculous colors all together. I used to only wear black/gray since supposedly it is more slimming, but that is definitely less fun! Bright colored running shoes are everywhere these days, and I like to wear bright clothes too. If getting dressed to exercise is fun, the exercising gets to be too, right?

Sam calls this my creamsicle shirt - with teal shorts!

Headband that Sam picked out for me at the expo in Dallas

The best advice I can give is that you have to figure out what works for you. But if you never start, you will never know! For me, I have to treat exercise like a requirement and then find ways to make it more bearable. It's taken me more than three years to get to the point where I enjoy running. And to be honest, it really doesn't matter if you like it - just find the type of exercise that you either hate the least or that fits your schedule/budget the best and do it! The best motivation is knowing that you are doing something  good for your health. And it is good for you whether you like it or not, although hopefully you eventually grow to enjoy it too!

How do you guys get/stay motivated?

(Also, Go Packers!)