Getting motivated to work out is sometimes the greatest obstacle in your path. It’s not so much lifting the barbell or lifting those heavy weights that’s the problem. The real challenge is lifting your spirits just to get to the gym.

So here are a few ways to get pumped for pumping up:

- Set goals. How can you score the physique you’re looking for when you don’t even know what you’re aiming at? It is important to set standards for yourself, otherwise you will drift aimlessly until the boredom and fatigue set in. Have something to shoot for. Set a date and a target and take the appropriate measures to achieve success.

- Make a Fitness Plan.  Start by noting changes that you would like to make.  Prioritize them, then go!  Ex. Changes I would like to make: go to the gym 3 days per week, skip soda at work and drink water instead, take a multi-vitamin each morning with breakfast, eat 5 small meals per day, incorporate a health shake for my mid afternoon meal,  have my last meal by 9 p.m. etc...  Once you have brought forward specific changes you want to make, make a plan how to incorporate them into your life! 

- Buy a new article of clothing. It could be anything – new jeans, a dress, a bathing suit-–a goal piece of clothing that you really like and would really like to fit into to (being realistic is important)!! Hang it in your closet where you can see it everyday--a subtle reminder of your goals! -Play some music!  Some studies show that listening to your favorite workout music can actually motivate you for a better workout! Grab your walkman and hit the gym! There’s nothing that can get your heart pumping and your feet grooving the way a funky tune will.

- Plan a trip. Vacation plans always seem to spark a new incentive in your workout regimen. Walking onto the Bahama beach in your dazzling new body is certainly worth the hours and hours of effort in the gym. Pick a goal date (say... 3 months away) and plan it!  There's no better motivation than that!

- Try a new gym. Sometimes, the change of scenery is what you need to spurt a new attitude. Too many days of looking at the same walls, the same mirrors, the same machinery, and the same old people will leave you with the same old body and the same old empty feeling.

Get Motivated!!
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