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.

One year without Mama

My mother died a year ago. It still hurts but I'm making progress.

Live in the moment

LIVE IN THE MOMENT

If there is one piece of advice I can offer, it is to get your life off autopilot. Become aware of what you do. Try to stop just going through the daily motions because you’ll never reach your potential. You are unique and authentic, and there is a purpose to your life. But if you follow all the rules blindly and follow the pack of people around you without asking yourself whether it is the right thing for you to do, chances are you’ll miss the opportunity to grow as a person. I see too many people feeling the need to just settle instead of making healthy changes.

NO MORE EXCUSES

My challenge to you is to do these action steps every day.

1 } Start your day with at least 10 minutes of “you” time. Instead of hitting the snooze button, set your alarm a bit early and spend some time reading an inspiring book, listening to a good podcast, or enjoying a cup of tea and breathing deeply. End this time with a daily affirmation such as, “Today will be a good day.”

2} Change the way you react to things that happen. For example, don’t get spun up when in traffic. Instead, work on your posture or blow bubbles out the window and watch people light up as they see them float by! We can’t always control things that happen, but we can control how we react to them.

3} Live in the moment. Practice being 100 percent present in everything that you do. Block out the full workload for 10 minutes when a loved one calls, let go of outside stresses as you walk in the park, and focus on the one task at a time and give it your all.

4 } Give to others and the environment. Giving is the best feeling in the world — even if it’s just a simple compliment. Never pass up a chance to make someone feel appreciated or loved. It will fuel your happiness.

5 } Spend a minimum of 30 minutes a day being active. Instead of wasting half your lunch break looking at emails or Facebook, get out and move. Skip the nighttime TV and go for a moonlit stroll. The increased blood flow will help energize you and boost your mood.

It’s your turn to create a ripple effect. Go reach your potential. I promise you won’t regret it. You’re worth it!

5 powerful questions

1.  Am I focusing on the right things?

At every moment, millions of little things compete for your attention.  All these things fall into one of two categories: things that are important and things that are not.

People never get more done by blindly working more hours on everything that comes up.  Instead, they get more done when they follow careful plans that measure and track key priorities and milestones.  So if you want to be more successful and less stressed, don’t ask how to make something more efficient until you’ve first asked, “Do I need to do this at all?”

Simply being able to do something well does not make it the right thing to do.  I think this is one of the most common problems with a lot of time-management advice; too often productivity gurus focus on how to do things quickly, but the vast majority of things people do quickly should not be done at all.  (Read Getting Things Done.)

2.  Is my mindset in the positive or the negative?

Where your mind goes, energy flows.  Which area of your life do you tend to focus on: what you have or what’s missing from your life?

If you scrutinize your habitual thoughts, what do you tend to spend more time dwelling on?  The positives or the negatives?

Rather than focusing on what you don’t have and begrudging those who are better off than you, perhaps you should acknowledge that you have lots to be thankful for. Developing a habit of appreciating what you have can create a new level of emotional well-being and strength.  But the real question is: do you take time to feel deeply grateful with your mind, body, heart and soul?  That’s where the energy to take positive action comes from.

So don’t let negativity and drama get the best of you.  Happy, successful people tune out negativity to make room for positivity.  Be wise enough to follow in their footsteps.  Walk away from the nonsense around you. 

Also, along these same lines, accept the fact that there’s a lot you can’t control.  And if you focus on what you can’t control, you’ll do nothing but create more stress for yourself.  So remember, you can influence many aspects of your life but you can’t control them entirely.  Once you fully accept and adopt this pattern of thinking, another important question must be asked:

3.  What meaning am I assigning to my challenges?

Even when we’re being positive, we all have challenges; there’s no escaping that.  But how you feel about your life has little to do with the events in it or what has (or hasn’t) happened to you.  The meaning you assign to these things controls the quality of your life.  Most of the time, however, you may be unaware of the effect of your unconscious mind in assigning meaning to life’s events.  So check-in with yourself…

• When something happens that disrupts your life (an illness, an injury, a job loss, etc.), do you tend to think that this is the end or the beginning?
• If someone confronts you, is that person insulting you, coaching you or trying to care for you?
• Does a big problem mean that God is punishing you or challenging you?  Or is it possible that this problem isn’t really a problem at all, but an opportunity?

Bottom line: When something negative happens, view this circumstance as a chance to learn something you didn’t know.  Don’t wish it never happened.  Don’t try to step back in time.  Take the lessons learned and step forward.  You have to tell yourself, “It’s OK.  I’m doing OK. I can handle this.”  You need to know that it’s better to cross new lines and suffer the consequences of a lesson learned from time to time, than to just stare at the lines for the rest of your life and always wonder.

Also keep in mind that the past, even when troubled, is invaluable to your present.  It provides a solid foundation for everything you’re doing now.  Learn from it – the mistakes and the successes – and then let it go.  This process might seem easier said than done, but it depends on your focus.  The past is just training; it doesn’t define you in this moment.  Think about what went wrong, but only in terms of how it will help you make things right.

When we shift our habitual focus and meanings, there’s no limit on what life can become.  A change of focus and a shift in meaning can literally alter our biochemistry and the trajectory of our lives in a couple minutes flat. 

So take control and always remember: Meaning equals emotion and emotion equals power.  Choose wisely.  Find an empowering meaning in any event, and best will always be yours for the taking.

And that leads right in to the next question…

4.  What will I do next to progress?

While everyone else is talking about it, successful people are quietly doing it.

It doesn’t matter if you have a genius IQ and a PhD in Quantum Physics, you can’t change anything or make any sort of real-world progress without taking action.  There’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it.  Knowledge and intelligence are both useless without action.  It’s as simple as that.

Successful people know that a good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed someday (or put off indefinitely!).  They don’t wait for the “right time” or the “right day” or the “right (impossible) circumstances”, because they know these reactions are based on a fear and nothing more.  They take action here and now, today – because that’s where real progress happens. 

5.  What tangible reminders do I need to see to stay motivated?

You want to lose weight, but when you’re tired, it’s easy to rationalize that you’ll start exercising and eating right tomorrow.  You want to build a more profitable business, but when you’re caught up in the daily grind, it’s easy to just do what’s familiar instead of what’s required for growth.  You want to nurture your closest relationships, but when you’re busy, it’s easy to rationalize that you really need to work on that client proposal instead.

Few good things come easy, and when the going gets tough we often take the easy way out – even though the easy way takes us the wrong way.

To combat this, successful people create tangible reminders that pull them back from the brink of their weak impulses.  One man has a copy of his credit card balance taped to his computer monitor; it serves as a constant reminder of the debt he wants to pay off.  Another friend keeps a photo of herself when she was 90 pounds heavier on her refrigerator as a reminder of the person she never wants to be again.  And another fills his desk with family photos, both because he loves looking at them and because, when work gets really tough, these photos remind him of the people he is ultimately working for.

Think of moments when you are most likely to give in to impulses that take you farther away from your ultimate goals.  Then use tangible reminders of those goals to interrupt the impulse and keep you on track.

Afterthoughts

Now that you’re aware of the power of these five questions and their subsequent decisions, start looking for role models who are experiencing what you want out of life.  When we observe someone we want to learn from and we have a crystal clear idea of what we want to create for ourselves, it unlocks a tremendous amount of motivation.  Human beings are socially inclined, and when we get the idea that we want to join some elite circle up above us, that is what really motivates us to achieve greatness.  “Look, they did it.  I can do it too!”

And yes, you CAN!

It may sound overly simplistic, but when you spend enough days asking yourself the right questions and you spend enough evenings studying people who have been where you want to go, you’ll gradually clear a pathway to create the positive change you desire in life.

Centering for Improved Concentration

Centering is a one-minute, twelve-breath exercise that transitions your mind from fretting about the past and future to being focused in the present — where your body must be.

As you withdraw your thoughts from these imagined times and problems, you release yourself from guilt about the past and worry about the future. You experience a stress-free vacation in the present.

Whenever you experience moments of the joyful abandon in play, the easy flow of creativity, or a state of concentration that leads to effortless optimal performance, you are enjoying a form of "centering."

Use this exercise each time you start a project. Within just a week or two your body and mind will learn to naturally let go of tension and focus on working efficiently and optimally.

Read the following to yourself or record it and play it each time you start a project.
1. Begin by taking three slow breaths, in three parts:
#1 Inhale,
#2 Hold your breath and muscle tension, and,
#3 Exhale slowly, floating down into the chair.
With each exhalation — let go of the last telephone call or commute and float down into the chair. With your next exhalation, let the chair hold you and let go of any unnecessary muscle tension. Let go of all thoughts and images about work from the past. Clear your mind and your body of all concerns about what "should have" or "shouldn't have" happened in the past. Let go of old burdens. Let go of trying to fix your old problems.  Let each exhalation become a signal to just let go.

Say to yourself as you exhale: "I release my mind and body from the past."

2. With your next three breaths, let go of all images and thoughts about what you think may happen in the future — all the "what ifs." With each exhalation, clear your muscles, your heart, and your mind of the work of trying to control the so-called future.

Say to yourself as you exhale: "I release my mind and body from the future."

3. With your next three breaths, say: "I'm choosing to be in this present moment." You let go of trying to control any other time or striving to be any particular way - and simply notice how little effort it takes to simply breathe comfortably and accept the just right level of energy to focus on this moment and this task — in the only moment there is, now.

Say to yourself as you exhale: "I bring my mind into the present."

4. "For the next few minutes, there is nothing much for my conscious mind to worry about within this sanctuary. I am safe from the past and the future. I just allow the natural processes of my mind and body to provide me with focused concentration while I access my inner genius and its creative resources."

Say to yourself as you exhale: "I am centered within my larger, wiser, stronger Self."

5. With your next three breaths count up from 1 to 3:
One, becoming more adequately alert with each breath;
Two, curious and interested about going rapidly from not-knowing to knowing; and,
Three, eager to begin, curious and interested about how much you can accomplish in such a short period of time.

For those who like to hear a guided version (start at minute 4.25):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05TwQ6OYXW0


Swaying

The object of this exercise is to sort of calibrate the position of the center in your body, and then to settle right in this position.

1. Sit on the floor, preferably in the way described in several of the above exercises, with your legs underneath you. Otherwise it is difficult to keep your back straight. Sit on something soft enough for you to remain there comfortably for a while, but not so thick that you sink down in it and lose stability. (You can also do this exercise standing) Wear loose clothing, particularly around your belly and the whole area of your hips.
2. Breathe calmly and deeply, and make sure to keep a good posture. Let your hands rest on your thighs (or hang down) and relax. Also relax your arms. They should be passive. Close your eyes.
3. Start swaying to and fro, sideways. Try to sway in such a way that the base of the movement is in your center, three finger widths below your navel. Neither above nor below it. Make the swaying small at first, then larger, moving far to the left and right – not so that you lose your balance, but not far from it.
4. Get into the swaying, sort of like you get lost in a song. You should feel like a growing pillar, so that your swaying encompasses an increasing distance from side to side.
5. Without you having to think about it, the swaying of your body will slowly decrease, the bigger and more extended it feels to you. The angle of your swaying gets smaller and smaller. Do not control it consciously. Just let it happen. 
6. Finally, when you feel almost infinitely tall, as if your swaying reaches deep into the cosmos – then your body movement will stop completely. The feeling of swaying continues, but your body is still, in an absolutely vertical position.
7. Then let go of that swaying feeling, and allow your central pillar to sort of sink down in this vertical middle, like a spear shoved into the ground. Your central pillar, your straight posture, falls into place in the middle of your body. This is one’s center.

Just How Messy Are You?

Soon you might be able to answer that question down to the decimal point. Researchers at MIT, led by cognitive scientist Ruth Rosenholtz, PhD, are working on a series of computer programs designed to quantify visual clutter by measuring color, contrast, "feature congestion," and visual complexity in maps and photographs of messy spaces. Rosenholtz's work could end debates over whether your teenager's room really is a pigsty (it is), help streamline Web sites and simplify maps, and maybe even lead to the creation of smart cars that can direct drivers to avoid overly cluttered—and therefore dangerous—streets.

Holds Barred

Talk about the magic touch: In a 2008 study published in the journal Judgment and Decision Making, researchers confirmed that the longer we physically hold an item, the more we value it. Two groups of 42 test subjects bid on coffee mugs they'd held in their hands for either ten or 30 seconds; the group that had more physical contact with the objects bid significantly higher. The lesson? When cleaning house, it may be best to enlist a buddy to hold things up as you decide what stays and what goes. That way you can avoid forming new attachments to your junk—or rekindling old ones.

The Quantified Self is a Web site where "self-trackers"—people who record, and look for patterns in, the empirical data of their lives—can post their findings. One self-tracker, Hulda Emilsdottir, detailed the methodology she and her husband, Josh Klein, used to clear out their Seattle apartment before moving to Iceland a few years ago. They logged every possession on a spreadsheet, then assigned each item to one of five categories: "I love this thing, and I use it all the time," "I love this thing because it's a good memory," "I love the way this thing looks, and I'm going to keep it," "This is useful but it's lacking somehow," or "This is useful, but I don't love it." Anything in the first three groups stayed; everything else went. "We got rid of about half of what we owned," Emilsdottir says. "And we get more joy out of what we kept," Klein adds. (Watch Emilsdottir's video about her remarkable seven-month wardrobe-simplifying project.)

An Object is Worth a Thousand Words

What would a stranger think of you if they examined every item you own? That's the burning question for University of Texas social psychologist Samuel Gosling, PhD. Gosling, the author of Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You, enters a person's home or office, notes all items present, and, based on his findings, completes a "personality inventory," assessing traits like agreeableness and neuroticism. A desk with a dozen framed family pictures might suggest that you value home life—"but are the photos facing inward (for your enjoyment) or outward (to convey a message to others)?" Gosling asks. Snooping may not be an exact science, but certain truths are well documented. For example: "People assume—always—that you're a nicer person if your space is clean."

Pardon Procrastination

If you have a penchant for procrastination, here is good news: A 2010 study out of Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, found that to stop putting off onerous tasks, you should...forgive yourself for putting them off. Doing so decreases your chances of delaying similar chores in the future, because it eases the negative emotions surrounding the task. So if you're upset about letting your basement progress beyond disorganized to health hazard, the most useful thing you can do is get over it—and then get down to work.

Source: oprah.com