9 SECRETS of the super motivated

STEAL THESE TRIED-AND-TRUE MOTIVATION TIPS AND NEVER LOSE YOUR FITSPIRATION AGAIN

By Allison Young / Oxygen Magazine

Finding motivation can feel like finding your headphones in a bottomless gym bag. You blindly dig and dig — you know they’re in there somewhere — but keep coming up empty. So we asked those seemingly effortless exercisers, the ultra marathoners, trainers, dietitians and exercise physiologists, who seem to have motivation on speed dial, how to hack it, hone it and own it. Turns out, motivation is not only way easier to find than those earbuds, but it’s also easier to untangle. Read on for their advice.

EVERYONE NEEDS A KILIMANJARO

“I hit a lull in my mid-40s. I was training Jessica Biel for The A-Team movie, and she was signed up to hike Mount Kilimanjaro for her charity. I hate outdoors stuff , but I signed up. Turned out, I so needed that moment to get me back on track. It pushed me in the gym in whole new ways, and when I accomplished it, I was empowered to try more unusual things. It got me on the road traveling and doing retreats, and now everywhere I go, I try something new, whether it’s camel riding in Egypt or a dance class. If you’re really feeling like nothing’s working motivation wise, you have to step into that ‘I-could-neverdo-it-but-I-coulddo-it’ zone and amazing things will happen.”

— Ramona Braganza, celebrity trainer and creator of the 321 Training Method

SUCCESS FEEDS MOTIVATION

“I live by the motto ‘something is better than nothing.’ Yesterday was a great example: I was planning to do a long workout that ended up not happening because of meetings, but I still jumped into the gym and did 15 minutes. It counts because 15 minutes of physical activity is better than sitting. It also counts because it means I didn’t skip a workout, it means I exercised regularly this week, and it helps reinforce that habit and routine. Doing exactly what I committed to do boosts my mood and motivation to continue. I am on track, in control and making progress, and it feels good. No matter what, I can make it work if I follow this motto.”

— Chris Jordan, director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute and creator of the 7-Minute Workout

THE ULTIMATE “PRESCRIPTION” FOR MOTIVATION

“No. 1, get o_ your couch. No. 2, start moving. No. 3, smile. No. 4, keep moving. No. 5, keep smiling. No. 6, repeat daily. The truth is that being active is a behavior pattern: Once you start it, you keep going and going, and then it just feels wrong to stop moving.”

— Dr. Jordan Metzl, M.D., sports medicine physician, fitness instructor, 32-time marathon runner, 12-time Ironman finisher and author of Dr. Jordan Metzl’s Running Strong: The Sports Doctor’s Complete Guide to Staying Healthy and Injury-Free for Life

SILENCE STICKING POINTS

“Bolster your willpower in tough times. A lot of research shows that if bloodsugar levels dip, willpower takes a severe nosedive. That’s why when you go too long without eating, you’ll overconsume whatever is around you. Curb this by having a piece of fruit with nut butter or Greek yogurt with fruit. The same thing has been shown with a lack of sleep. That’s why I try to get enough sleep, and on those days I don’t, I make sure I start out the day right with a proteinrich breakfast to help reduce those sweet cravings.”

— Julie Upton, MS, RD, athlete and co-author of The Real Skinny: Appetite for Health’s 101 Fat Habits & Slim Solutions

DON’T GIVE THAT NEGATIVE VOICE THE TIME OF DAY

“You have to have tunnel vision and not think sometimes. Like the other day: I really didn’t want to go to the gym, but I knew if I went through the motions, I’d eventually get there. I just have to get up, get moving and get my stuff together, and if I can make it to the car, I think I’m good. We all know how to put ourselves on autopilot, so get out and do it!”

— Toni Carey, co-creator of Black Girls Run!

GIVE YOURSELF A PEP TALK

“Some of the hardest moments for me are being out at mile 87 of 100 miles. My legs hurt and all I want to do is lay down. What gets me across the finish line? A lot of selftalk: Holly, pull it together, you can do this! Look how far you’ve come! When you believe in yourself, the motivation comes second nature.”

— Holly Miller, personal trainer, coach, yoga teacher, stationary cycli ng instructor and ultramarathoner who has completed two Ironman triathlons and has run more than 50 marathons

CHANGE YOUR STATE, CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

“When I’m unmotivated, feel bad about my body or not proud of myself, if I make myself of service to somebody else — How can I support you, how can I lift YOU up — I hear myself saying all the things I need to hear. I change my own state. Even when you feel low, if you can go and offer help to someone else, if you can be of service, that is the quickest way to change your state.”

— Kiya Knight, creator of Weightless and Air Bar, certified personal trainer and fitness instructor

CHECK MOTIVATION OFF THE LIST

“I’m a check-it off -the-list kind of girl! I write everything I’m planning to do that day in a little book: Work out, take SLT, go to yoga. That’s a great motivator because I don’t like going to bed without almost everything from the day crossed off.”

— Amanda Freeman, founder and owner of New York City boutique fitness studio SLT (Strengthen, Lengthen, Tone)

TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO FORGIVE IS MOTIVATING

“If you stray, whether it’s eating something you shouldn’t have or skipping a workout because you’re tired, be forgiving. When you start being hard on yourself, it takes the fun out of it, which is a sure way to zap motivation.”

— Katie Warner Johnson,, dancer and Physique 57 trainer and co-founder of activewear site Carbon38

GOAL-OVERHAUL

Four months after your vague New Year’s resolution to lose weight, where are you? By now — according to the stats — more than 60 percent of us have bailed and given up on them. Don’t be a statistic; overhaul your original goal and make it SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.

Success strategy: Get specific. Here’s your new SMART goal: “I will lose 10 pounds by summer by eating clean for all my meals, doing my strength and cardio training Monday through Friday regularly, and aiming to lose a pound a week before my vacation to Hawaii.” This gives you a much better map to follow and smaller, daily goals to reach in order to achieve your ultimate goal. Write down your new SMART goal on paper and hang it where you can see it every day or have your smartphone send a reminder. Good luck!

Ignite your fire

Need a spark of inspiration? The power of positive recall can get you motivated to move.

By Karen Asp

Motivation is a funny thing. Even if you’re a certified gym rat, you might have trouble getting psyched up to exercise every now and then. Here’s a surefire way to give that motivation a good kick in the pants: Recall a positive exercise experience.

In a study from the journal Memory, about 150 college students were asked to recall either a positive or negative memory connected to exercise that would increase their motivation to exercise. Meanwhile, a control group did no recall.

In the end, those who remembered a positive memory reported higher amounts of exercise, about 15 minutes (or more) of moderate-intensity activity during a weeklong period, than the control group. Surprisingly, negative memories connected to exercise also increased study participants’ activity level over the control group, although not as much as the positive exercise memory group.

Why? Although researchers don’t have a definitive answer, they do have a few theories. “Recalling a positive exercise experience could boost one’s self-concept in terms of exercise and fitness,” says Mathew Biondolillo, lead study author from the University of New Hampshire. That, in turn, could lead to more exercise.

Other research points to specific memories serving as a directive function, meaning that they direct or guide future activities and suggest plans of action based on past experience. “A positive motivational memory might give helpful guidance and instruction for people so they know how to repeat a past positive exercise experience in the future,” he adds.

So on those days when you’re vacillating between staying in bed another 30 minutes or heading to the gym, this study suggests that recalling those positive past experiences could make you choose the latter. For instance, think about completing your first 5K and how happy you felt as a result.

Can’t think of anything positive? Then follow the lead of the second group in the study and veer the other way into negative territory. For instance, maybe you picture a race you did in which you almost couldn’t finish. The memory could ignite your fire to exercise so you’ll do better next time.

When you’re vacillating between staying in bed another 30 minutes or heading to the gym, recalling positive past experiences could make you choose the latter.

243:(calories)

NUMBER OF CALORIES IN A BASIC BROWNIE. TO BURN OFF THE CALORIES, ACCORDING TO HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL, A 125 - POUND WOMAN WILL HAVE TO DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FOR ONE HOUR OVER AND ABOVE HER DAILY ACTIVITY LEVEL: STRETCHING, HATHA YOGA, WATER AEROBICS, TAI CHI, VOLLEYBALL, BASIC GYMNASTICS, WALK 3.5 MILES, WASH A CAR.

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