The reason for exercising and living a healthy lifestyle is different from one person to another. The most commonly mentioned reasons for exercising are:

• To manage or control our weight.
• To look better.
• To be healthier.
• To reduce stress.
• To improve our self esteem.
• To build strength.

No one can deny the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle, however for most of us these reasons are never enough to keep us focused all the time! We sometimes fall off the wagon and take a day off, then two, then a week… and before you know it months (even years) go by and we lose all the progress we had already achieved.
Let’s explore the most used reasons NOT to exercise:

• I have no time.
• Too tired / Too Hard / Lack of Discipline.
• Bad past experience / Exercise not enjoyable.
• Too Expensive.
• Distance / Inconvinience.

Let’s be honest, we have all used one of these reasons (excuses) before. Although there might be some true behind these reasons (you may indeed have a busy day), we all know they would not be able to hold us back if we were truly determined. So the question is not whether or not you have a good reason to skip your workout, the question is: What can we do to improve our chances of winning that battle inside our head when we feel like throwing the towel?

We need to dig deeper than the usual “I want to be fit” , or “I want to be healthier”,  these are too vague and will only motivate us for a little while. We need to link one of these fitness goals to something that we hold dear, something truly meaningful to us. To discover this ask yourself the following question:

“What drives me?”

Your mind will kick in and right away will claim to have the answer, pay no attention to that. Instead, stay still, breathe deeply and ask yourself again: “What drives me?” Feel (don’t think) for something that gives you joy, something that makes you smile. Look for the answer in your heart, not in your mind.

The answer could be something like: “I want to be a good example for my children and enjoy a long active and healthy life with my family” or “In X months I want to be fit enough to be able to ____________________ (run a marathon, climb a mountain, run a triathlon or an obstacle course, whatever your fitness dreams are)”, “I want to lose X pounds so I can feel better about myself and attract positive things/people/relationships into my life” or “I want to be the first person in my family to prove that we are not all destined to grow sick and heavy as time goes by”. Only you will know the right answer to this question. You may need to ask it several times, when the right answer comes to you, you will feel it, it will resonate deep within and you will know you have it. Once you have it, do not let go, write it down some place where you can see it every day!

Remember, the secret is to connect a fitness goal to something that is more important to you than just fitting into a certain size of jeans, or looking like Arnold. Something you can pour your heart into! This will be extremely useful specially when you are doubting your capacity and determination, when you’re feeling tired and start to consider skipping your workout, or when you are half way into it and you feel like stopping and calling it a day… ask yourself:

What Drives Me?