A lack of fitness motivation is often our greatest problem with getting fit – if being in shape was easy or could be bought at the local store nothing could stop us from looking fantastic.

The trouble is that shaping up takes some time and effort – at the very least a few minutes here and there to move your body.

• You have to take the time to do it
• You have to remember to do it.
• You have to make enough of an effort to engage your strength, stamina and/or flexibility in order to make a difference.
• You may even have to lose some weight so you can even see you are in better physical condition – in itself no easy feat.

So, how do you get the motivation that makes the difference between those who shape up and those who stay miserably the same while wishing things could be different?

First of all you have to know why you want to change. And those reasons have to be firmly fixed in your mind – enough to counter any resistance you have to doing what you know is good for you.

It doesn’t matter what exercise you engage in, whether you’ve recently bought a treadmill for your basement, you’re just trying to keep up a simple abs program like my free course (see below) or you are starting a new exercise program at the gym. Getting fit and shaping up will only last as long as your enthusiasm.

If you don’t work on your fitness motivation as well as your body, your shiny new workout program or equipment is destined to fall into disuse.

I once heard that boosting motivation is like showering – it’s best if you do it every day. And I think you’d agree that motivation for working out is something that tends to dwindle over time if you do nothing about it.

So, what should you do?

1. Think about your reasons for shaping up (and write them down if you have a whole lot – most of us have more than one). Why do you want to get in shape? What exactly do you want to achieve? Who are you doing it for? Is there a particular event you can keep in mind to help you achieve success?
2. Be sure and remind yourself of all the reasons why you want to shape up every morning just as you get up.
3. Make it a goal for the day to do something about your shape (and remember that may be resting if it is a rest day in your schedule) and each day you succeed give yourself a star on the calendar – so that you have a visual reminder of your success
4. Do whatever fitness activities you plan as soon as possible in your day so that life doesn’t have a chance to get in the way.

If you forget to attend to your motivation every day, you’re likely to be one of those who fall by the wayside every year. So keep focused with these 4 steps and you’ve got a great foundation to keep up your fitness goals forever.