20 Minute Cardio Workout

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If you are short of time this workout could be just what you are looking for. Everybody can find 20 minutes to burn some calories and raise your heart rate.

If you are more advanced in your training include this short workout at the start of your day, to kick start your metabolism. You can then continue with your normal workout program in the evenings.

Make the routine more intense by trying to push yourself to achieve more repetitions, every time you do it or increase the length of time you do each exercise.

Running For Beginers

Running is free, you can do it anywhere, and it burns more calories than any other mainstream exercise.

Regular running can reduce your risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke. It can also boost your mood and keep your weight under control.

It’s not surprising that running is the latest fitness craze, with Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson and Katie Price among the celebrities who love it.

This guide is designed to make running a safe and enjoyable experience for beginners, and to provide you with tips on how to stay motivated.

Starting Out

To avoid injury and enjoy the experience, it’s essential to ease yourself into running slowly and increase your pace and distance gradually over several outings.

Start each run with a gentle warm-up of at least five minutes. This can include quick walking, marching on the spot, knee lifts, side stepping and climbing stairs.

Start walking for an amount of time that feels comfortable (anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes). 

Once you can walk for 30 minutes easily, include some running intervals of one to two minutes into your walking at a speed that feels comfortable.

As time goes on, make the running intervals longer, until you're running for 30 minutes continuously.

Run with your arms and shoulders relaxed, and elbows bent. Keep an upright posture and a smooth running stride, striking the ground with the middle of your foot. 

Give yourself a few minutes to cool down (to bring your heartbeat back to normal) after each run, warm down by walking followed by gently stretching your leg muscles. 

Regular running for beginners means getting out at least twice a week. Your running will improve as your body adapts to the consistent training stimulus.

It’s better to run twice a week, every week, than to run half a dozen times one week and then do no running for the next three weeks.

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Health Benefits of Yoga!

1. Improves Your Flexibility

Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won’t be able to touch your toes, never mind do a back bend. But if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. You’ll also probably notice that aches and pains start to disappear. That’s no coincidence. Tight hips can strain the knee joint due to improper alignment of the thigh and shin bones. Tight hamstrings can lead to a flattening of the lumbar spine, which can cause back pain. And inflexibility in muscles and connective tissue, such as fascia and ligaments, can cause poor posture.

2. Builds Muscle Strength

Strong muscles do more than look good. They also protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls in elderly people. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just went to the gym and lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility.

3. Perfects Your Posture

Your head is like a bowling ball—big, round, and heavy. When it’s balanced directly over an erect spine, it takes much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you start to strain those muscles. Hold up that forward-leaning bowling ball for eight or 12 hours a day and it’s no wonder you’re tired. And fatigue might not be your only problem. Poor posture can cause back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems. As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

4. Prevents Cartilage & Joint Breakdown 

Each time you practice yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by “squeezing and soaking” areas of cartilage that normally aren't used. Joint cartilage is like a sponge; it receives fresh nutrients only when its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected areas of cartilage can eventually wear out, exposing the underlying bone like worn-out brake pads.

5. Protects Your Spine

Spinal disks—the shock absorbers between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves—crave movement. That’s the only way they get their nutrients. If you’ve got a well-balanced asana practice with plenty of back bends, forward bends, and twists, you’ll help keep your disks supple.

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If losing pounds is as easy as journalling about what you put in your mouth, can you use the same technique to help you stick to a fitness routine?

Dieters who keep a food diary lose twice as much weight as those who kept no records, according to a recent study by Kaiser Permanente’s Centre for Health Research. But while keeping a journal holds you more accountable for how you treat your body, sticking to a fitness routine is different from sticking to a healthy eating routine. Personal trainers we talked to recommend these tactics to keep you motivated and inspired to work out.

1. Change Your Perspective

Shift your thinking from couch potato mentality to thinking like an athlete. This may sound like a big challenge, but it’s not as big a leap as you think. Essex, Massachusetts mother April Bowling, 33, stopped using her busy life as an excuse not to exercise. After the birth of her children (now ages 5 and 3), Bowling started viewing exercise as a way to set a strong example for her kids.

Bowling started thinking about her workouts at odd hours as a blessing rather than a sacrifice. She also found inspiration in others, looking outward for extra motivation. “Take inspiration from everyone you meet."

2. Set a Goal

There’s nothing more motivating, sometimes even scary, than that first 5K looming in bold letters on the calendar. Register early and commit to an exercise program that will get you in shape by race day.

“Set realistic goals that include clear milestones, and as you progress toward your goal, you’ll find a ripple effect occurs and things fall into place in your work, home life and health,” says Stacy Fowler, a Denver-based personal trainer and life coach.

The goal doesn't even have to be an organized race. Maybe it’s a mission to fit into that bikini by the annual beach vacation or that old pair of jeans buried in your closet. Whatever it is is, define it, write it down and revisit it daily.

Make sure it’s realistic and you can actually adapt your life around meeting the goal, says Philip Haberstro, executive director of the National Association for Health and Fitness in Buffalo, N.Y. 

3. Schedule a Regular Workout Time

Some of the most committed exercisers do it every day before the sun comes up or late at night when the kids are in bed. Sit down with your weekly schedule and try to build in an hour each day to be good to your body.

Tamira Cole, 24, a graduate student in Clarksville,Tenn., was motivated to exercise regularly by the energy boost it brought to her day. “It’s easy to stay in bed. But you have to set an alarm and take the extra initiative,” she says. “Then you’ll find you have more energy and can be more efficient throughout the day.”

If you convince yourself you’ll fit in a workout some time after that last meeting, once the kids go down for a nap or when your spouse arrives home on time, failure is certain. Chances are a last-minute invitation will come along; weather will foil a bike ride; or the kids won’t nap. Write your workout on your calendar, set up daycare, and rearrange things around this one hour as if were any other important appointment you have to keep.

4. Think Fun and Variety

By nature, humans need change and variety to stay motivated. We also need to have fun, even while we’re working hard. 

Whether it’s a toning and sculpting class that changes choreography every week or a trail run that changes scenery every season, design your exercise routine around a variety of exercise methods. Make sure you include activities you truly enjoy and look forward to doing. Think movement that's more like recreation and makes you forget you're working out, like dancing, hula hooping or playing sports with family and friends.

Workout variety also challenges your body in unique ways, which may introduce you to new muscle groups you didn't even know you had!

5. Reach Out to Others for Support

In America, some tend to have trouble asking for help, says Bowling. Yet in order to stick to a fitness program, we need buy-in and encouragement from other people.

“Exercising is built into our family life," Bowling adds. “We view it as a necessity. Sometimes it takes the place of watching TV together.”

For others, it’s finding a friend with a shared zest for running, and planning scheduled workouts together. It’s easy to hit the snooze button when it’s just you, but much harder to leave a friend waiting at the track.

Consider joining a social networking site or on-line community with fitness trainers and nutrition experts, and support from other people trying to lose weight and maintain healthy eating and exercise routines. People who get this kind of on-line support are proven to lose three times more weight than people going it alone.

So start thinking of yourself as an athlete, and not a spectator. Set a goal, enlist a friend, mark it on your calendar and have some fun. You’ll be setting yourself up for a lifetime of better health, more happiness, and more energy for everything else in your life.

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Getting Started & Keeping Going

You know that you want to look and feel fitter and healthier! 

You know that you will feel better after a workout, yet you just can't bridge the gap between lying on the sofa, thinking about exercise and actually doing it. "Knowing what is good for you and wanting to do it is, alone, not sufficient to make sustainable behaviour changes," says Dr Falko Sniehotta, a psychologist at the University of Aberdeen. "The proverb, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions', is backed up by science. There is often a substantial gap between our intentions and our behaviour."

Ten top tips to boost your motivation

Take 10 Make a deal with yourself to do 10 minutes and you will probably end up completing a full workout.

Get your kit on Get up or go home and put on your workout clothes. Once they are on, you'll feel you may as well make use of them.

Distract yourself Research at San Diego State University suggests that most novice exercisers do better when chatting to a friend, listening to music or watching television.

Psych yourself up Listening to uplifting music before and during exercise can be beneficial.

Phone a friend "A workout buddy gives you a moral obligation to turn up, introduces an element of rivalry to push you harder and offers feedback, support and fun," says sports psychologist Costas Karageorghis.

Get a gadget Equipment that allows you to monitor your progress - such as heart rate monitors, pedometers and the Nike + Sports Kit (which monitors pace and distance) can help. Research by the Walking the Way to Health Initiative found that people who wore pedometers over a 12-week period ended up walking an extra 1,000 steps daily.

Make it bite-size Focus only on the moment and before you know it, you'll be cooling down.

Imagine it Visualisation is a very powerful mental strategy, but be careful. "If you see yourself sprawled on the sofa, feeling guilty about not being at the gym, your mind will take on board those negative feelings," says exercise coach Amelia Watts. "Better to visualise yourself exercising and feeling good. See yourself on the home stretch of a run - imagine how good you feel, what you might hear, smell and see when you put your key in the door."

Get minted As far-fetched as it might seem, research in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology found that sniffing peppermint resulted in increased running speed, hand grip strength and number of push-ups performed in a test.

Bribe yourself "Token reward systems work well," says Karageorghis. "Set yourself rewards for achieving stages along the way."

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Workout Like The Stars

Why not try working out like your favourite movie star!

Take a look at this video and find out how Stallone looks so good at his age, how Statham gets so lean and why the fastest man in the world lifts weights.

This video might just be a bit of fun to watch some movie stars working out, but look at the determination and maximum effort every single one of them shows. They may get paid to look good but they still have to put the time into their training and push themselves every step off the way. If you want to look like Rambo then you have to be prepared to train like Rambo!

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Total Motivation

This video is amazing, the strength involved is unreal. While most of us can't perform the exercises that are featured in the video, we can certainly admire the dedication and sacrifice that it takes to train your body to this level.

I would recommend watching the video a couple of times, remember the bits that stick out for you, and when you start training replay the clip in your head when you feel like giving up. The word can't does not exist when you start training, you can always push harder or go faster. If you can overcome the voice in your head telling you to stop, you can achieve anything. Don't give up, keep working hard and never lose focus....  






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Lifting Big and Altering Expectations

As a society, we seem to be collectively less taken aback to see or hear about women lifting weights, and more supportive of the endeavour.

In addition, strength training has shot to the top of the recommendations list for many a mainstream health organization, including the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; their website recommends strength training for men and women of all ages, listing benefits such as more muscle strength, increased bone density, better balance, weight maintenance, improved glucose control, and arthritis relief, among others. 

It also acknowledges the benefits beyond the physical, saying that lifting weights “can also have a profound impact on a person's mental and emotional health.”

The advantages of lifting heavy-for-you weights (heavy depends entirely on the lifter) are myriad, from a higher caloric burn post-workout to greater loss of intra-abdominal fat to greater muscle definition. The “toned” look that many women are looking for is, in actuality, the building of more muscle and the burning of more fat, so going big (meaning doing anywhere from one to 12 reps with a "heavy" weight( moves you closer to toned than doing dozens of reps with a very light weight.

And that doesn't even touch the feeling of capability and confidence that comes with moving big numbers.

There are, unfortunately, still times where we may have to field unfounded warnings about bulking up (my standard response: women don’t have the testosterone levels to get totally jacked unless they lift often and eat very, very big, very, very often), but mostly the reaction is pure admiration and support. 

People’s pre-existing ideas about what’s possible shift in an instant, and with every one of these interactions, we transform what it means when a woman says, “I lift weights.”

To be clear, we are not in any way obligated to usher in new expectations, but I like to believe that every time you act as an ambassador for big weights, an angel gets its wings.





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HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT IN YOUR INNER THIGHS

Why not try this simple thigh routine as one of your Motivation Monday exercises?

The exercises are light and are done at the pace of the person training and require no equipment. The lady in the video has lost over 120 lbs, so she has been there and done it.
If you can find a mentor or trainer who has actually completed a weight loss journey, then you are very lucky. Use what they have achieved to motivate your self, if they can do it why can't you!





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The Message Is Simple...

"WAKE UP WITH DETERMINATION, GO TO BED WITH SATISFACTION".

"PUSH YOURSELF EVERY DAY BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT FOR YOU".

"THINK POSITIVE & POSITIVE THINGS WILL HAPPEN".

"LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE".

"IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW SLOWLY YOU GO AS LONG AS YOU DON'T STOP".

"NOTHING GOOD EVER CAME EASY".

How To Get Motivated

The ladies in this video are extremely fit, but they weren't born that way! You only get to look this good by working hard, being totally dedicated and by making sacrifices. It's so easy to make excuses and talk about genetics, injury's, time pressure or the "real world", it's so much harder to say " I want to look like that and I'm going to make it happen".

If you want it, believe in your self, make the mind set change and go for it. There is no time pressure, it's not a race, it's a way of life!

Remember, you are not the first person to try to lose weight, you are not the heaviest person that has tried to lose weight and you are not the most unfit person! There is always someone who is in a more difficult position than you, stop looking for obstacles and living in the past, it's time to move forward!

The problem is quite simple: You either want to change your life style or you don't, there are no half measures. You got your self into the situation and the only person who can change it, is you.

Let's start today, now. Analyse your life style, be brutally honest and remove the people or objects that are holding you back and start your new life.

Of course there will be up's and downs, and yes it's going to hurt and be very difficult, but if it wasn't then it wouldn't be worth fighting for.

Your choice.........

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Lift Weight To Lose Weight

Not only does this make a "catchy title" but it also makes perfect sense. Strength training for both genders is a sure fire way to achieve a lean muscular physique......

Numerous studies have demonstrated conclusively that strength training, in conjunction with good nutrition, burns fat much more effectively than dieting alone and dieting in conjunction with aerobic exercise. What no study has shown yet is exactly how.

This much is known: Aerobic activity burns fat while you’re exercising, but anaerobic (meaning without oxygen) activity burns fat in the minutes, hours and days following exercise, as your body recovers from your workout. Compare the energy costs of the two activities during a workout session, as many studies have done in the past, and aerobic activity appears to burn more fat, which may explain why many health and fitness professionals still recommend it.

But if you add up the fat burned by the two activities during and after exercise — including what’s burned between sets during the workout itself — anaerobic activity comes out ahead. Way ahead!

Several factors contribute to this. An exerciser consumes additional oxygen in the hours and days following a strength-training session (a phenomenon known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC), and that accounts for some of the difference. Simply put, you burn more calories and keep your metabolism elevated when you use more oxygen. The muscles of a strength-trained athlete also remain slightly contracted (meaning they’re still firing) for several hours after working out, which adds fuel to the metabolic furnace. And it’s likely that the fat-burning effect of an anaerobic workout is cumulative, so that with each successive set, you burn incrementally more fat, leading to a kind of fat-burning jackpot at the end of your workout.





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More Muscle Less Fat

Almost everyone who's lost weight has eventually put the weight back on.

Why this cruel reality? It's simple, really: During the first months of any diet, your body loses both fat and muscle. Then, when you gain back the weight, you add back only fat because it's much easier to gain fat than it is to gain muscle.

"That's the dirty little secret of most popular diet plans," says exercise researcher Ellington Darden, Ph.D., author of the new Women's Healthbook, The Body Fat Breakthrough. "They don't combine muscle-maintaining exercises with the calorie reduction. More muscle is your ticket to a better body."

It's no secret that muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so by having more lean muscle on your skeleton, you'll burn more calories even at rest. Fortunately, Darden says he discovered a super-efficient way to build muscle while losing weight: It's called "negative training," and Darden tested it on more than 100 people at Gainesville Health & Fitness in Florida a few years ago. The technique involves doing the lowering part, or "eccentric phase," of a resistance exercise very slowly. But Darden gave this old-school body building trick a tweak: He found that by using heavier weights and doing just one and a half reps very, very slowly, you can achieve remarkable results from just one or two short workouts per week.

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Lower Body Beginner Workout

This workout for lean legs combines the best of the best thigh slimming exercises so that you can take an active approach to leaning out the lower body.

Built specifically to help people get slimmer thighs, the mix of light resistance strength training and Pilates moves are the perfect exercises for building long, lean muscles in the legs.

Why this combination of exercises slims thighs:

Low Resistance, high rep bodyweight exercises
The exercises in this workout are the best for leaning out the legs because they consist of bodyweight callisthenics that don’t actually require moving the entire body’s weight.

The more weight that you put on a muscle, the stronger it will get and the more mass it will attain. Do realize that even with this muscle mannerism, women do not naturally have the hormones to “bulk up”. Building lean muscle will actually make it easier to stay at a healthy bodyweight, which in turn makes it easier to get a lean lower body; don't avoid building muscle!

Pliates exercise that slims thighs:

This lower body workout is also filled with Pilates exercises that incorporate stretching and toning movements at the same time, which is in part what develops the “long and lean” look. Pilates exercises keep the muscles constantly flexed, and they tend to use a much fuller range of motion than regular strength training moves. Aside from toning muscles and increasing flexibility, Pilates also enhances body awareness (which muscles are inflexible, what body parts and movements are limited in range of motion, etc), which can lead to a wealth of other health benefits.

How often should you do this routine? 

To get slimmer thighs, do this lower body workout 3-4 times a week, always with at least one day of rest in between. How often you do this routine should really depend on whether or not you are sore after you've done it; for example, if you do this workout on a Monday and are still sore on a Wednesday, you may want to wait another 24 hours for those muscles to heal more completely. In all reality this routine is light enough in resistance that you shouldn't need more than 48 hours before you are ready to do it again, but do be aware of how you feel, especially after the first time you've tried it.

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Complete Fat Burning Workout

Aim to keep blood sugar levels steady with the tips below and you will experience better energy, mood, fewer cravings and more satisfaction from meals. 

1. Do Not Drink Fruit Juices.

A healthy glass of OJ each morning- no way! Fresh squeezed orange juice including the fibre from the pulp would be my preference. The glycemic index rating for oranges is moderate while orange juice is sky high partially due to added sugars put in juices. Remember the glycemic index determines blood sugar and insulin levels. This is the first thing I pull out of any diet especially if there are juvenile behaviour problems. Use real fruits for your nutrient needs and remember to include avocados and grapefruit which both fit well in most fat loss plans.

2. Eliminate the Consumption of Refined Foods

Most acknowledge that refined foods such as bread, pasta, packaged baked goods, cereal etc support the storage of body fat. Do not be fooled by whole wheat bread, pita's, tortillas and other products that also contained enriched flour. In many cases these items are the same as their white counter parts with some added colouring.

 3. Amino Load before and after exercise

Amino Loading is a term we use to describe the combination of 100 % MR and Muscle Synthesis which efficiently deliver crucial amino acids in a rapid fashion. Consumed before training this unique combo forces the body to use more stored fat as fuel during exercise while also helping the trainee to shift to a more anabolic (fat burning) hormonal environment. During and after training amino acids provide an alternative energy source to support improved training performance (especially important during a low carb diet) and lay the building blocks needed for new muscle growth. Following training your first priority should be accelerating recovery and Amino Loading provides the critical ratios of amino acids needed to be quickly assimilated into hungry muscles. A protein shake post workout alone does not do the job, during training you pump blood into the muscles to act as a nutrient super highway to carry in raw materials. Drinking a shake following training will draw blood away from the muscles and into the stomach to support digestion which deteriorates much of the raw material value and slows down the delivery of nutrients.

Timing is critical and there is no time to spare post workout. 100% MR and Muscle Synthesis rapidly deliver the raw materials needed as they bypass digestion and get right into the blood stream to take advantage of the hormonal and metabolic conditions created by training. 

4. Do not use bars of any kind as meal replacements when trying to maximize fat loss.

Bars have come a long way when it comes to taste, but they are nothing more than high protein candy bars. They are a great tool for gaining weight or every once in a while when you are in a pinch. Otherwise do not use them, be aware that this “net impact carbs” and other labelling tricks are a scam. Companies have replaced sugar with other sweeteners which do not count as carbs on the label. As a result you end up with a bar “low in carbs” but sky high in sweeteners that will cause more havoc with insulin levels than real sugar. I have yet to find a bar high enough in fibre and low in sweeteners to allow people to lose body fat when eaten regularly.

5. Do not replace solid food meals with shakes and never consume a shake without fibre as your first meal of the day.

I understand people are very busy in the mornings, but eating a proper breakfast meal is vital. The body has been starving overnight and must have real food which provides a basis of nutrients and fibre. Without fibre your blood sugar will go haywire. Furthermore do not rely on shakes for every meal. I am amazed to see people in my office eating one food meal and 5 shakes per day. 

People wonder why they cannot lose body fat; their blood sugar levels are out of control! Consume at least three solid food meals per day. Mixed nuts are a great protein shake alternative as they are high in good fats, proteins and have adequate fibre content. Eat natural fruit as alternatives to sugary snacks, try to eat regularly every 3 hours and always concentrate on portion size.

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How To Keep Motivated To Exercise

Keeping motivated to exercise effectively is an obstacle that many people fail to over come. 

 There are many different reasons for this, some are genuine problems (injury or illness) but the vast majority are excuses or the simple fact that the person just doesn't want to change their life style.

The first, and in my opinion the most important hurdle to face on your weight loss journey is, mind set.  If you don't change your mind set through the process of self analysis, then there is little hope of success. Everyone who hopes to lose weight, has some area in their life that they must change, in order to reach the goals they hope to achieve. This could involve any or several of the following factors:

Exercise - Diet - Alcohol - Sleep

Until the above factors are considered, and any problems addressed, and changes made there is no point in trying to lose weight over the "long term". The correct mind set requires a person to self analyse, identify the problem and change it! This is a black and white fact! Cutting down or reducing is simply not good enough if you are serious about mind set change!

The video below illustrates exactly the attitude and mind set that is required to succeed and change your life. Motivation can be found in many places, but it is all worthless unless you have the correct mind set, to listen, read or watch and then take that inspiration into the gym, and drive forward ignoring the pain. 

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You know that you want to look and feel fitter and healthier. 

You know that you will feel better after a workout, yet you just can't bridge the gap between lying on the sofa, thinking about exercise and actually doing it. "Knowing what is good for you and wanting to do it is, alone, not sufficient to make sustainable behaviour changes," says Dr Falko Sniehotta, a psychologist at the University of Aberdeen. "The proverb, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions', is backed up by science. There is often a substantial gap between our intentions and our behaviour."

The problem for many of us is that exercise is not a habit or routine but an obligation or a chore and for that reason is readily pushed off the agenda. "The hard part about getting fit is starting," says Amelia Watts, an exercise coach. "Once you get into a rhythm of regular exercise, it becomes a habit and you just get on with it." A study from the University of Alberta found just that: people who exercise regularly don't spend time weighing up the pros and cons of a workout.

It also helps if the activities you choose are easily accessible. Sniehotta says: "Planning is one of the most important strategies in instigating behaviour change. Planning in advance and in detail when, where and how you will exercise, and implementing coping plans (how to deal with setbacks and obstacles, such as bad weather) will increase the chances of successful behaviour change." Simple strategies, such as laying out your running kit or packing the gym bag the night before, can help. Some studies have shown that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick at it than those who leave it till later in the day, when there has been plenty of time to talk themselves out of it. Plus a recent study by Glasgow University found that morning exercise enhances mood 30% more than evening exertion. Exercise at any time of day, though, is better than none, and consistency is important. "Try to schedule your workouts for the same time each day,' says Dr Costas Karageorghis, reader in sport psychology at Brunel University. "We are creatures of habit and having a regular routine is important."

Stimulation and variety also help. "Working out on your own all the time is not a recipe for success," says Karageorghis. "A training partner fulfils a basic human need for socialisation."

One study at the University of Florida found that exercisers who repeated the same workout over and over were more likely to quit than people who rotated three varied workouts each week. "The gym can be a very sterile environment," says Karageorghis. "If yours is part of a chain offering nationwide access, why not visit a different branch occasionally, for a change of scene?" he says.

Watts suggests: "Cycle one of your running routes. Go to an open-air pool instead of the indoor one. Drive somewhere beautiful to run or use a machine you've never used before at the gym."

While you may not have your sights set on a marathon, it is still important to set goals. "A goal doesn't have to be a race or reaching a specific weight," says Watts. "It could be to complete three workouts a week." Writing goals down to record how you progress is a useful strategy. Watts also suggests recording evidence to show how your body changes as you get more fit: taking measurements, for example, or even photographs.

 Top Tips To Boost Your Motivation

 Make a deal with yourself to do 10 minutes and you will probably end up completing a full workout.

Get your kit on Get up or go home and put on your workout clothes. Once they are on, you'll feel you may as well make use of them.

Psych yourself up Listening to uplifting music before and during exercise can be beneficial.

A workout buddy gives you a moral obligation to turn up, introduces an element of rivalry to push you harder and offers feedback, support and fun.

Focus only on the moment and before you know it, you'll be cooling down.

 Visualisation is a very powerful mental strategy, but be careful. "If you see yourself sprawled on the sofa, feeling guilty about not being at the gym, your mind will take on board those negative feelings," says exercise coach Amelia Watts. "Better to visualise yourself exercising and feeling good. See yourself on the home stretch of a run - imagine how good you feel, what you might hear, smell and see when you put your key in the door."

Bribe yourself, set yourself rewards for achieving goals & targets along the way.








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Complete Motivation

If you are struggling to stay motivated and think perhaps it's just not worth it, take a look at this short video for 50 reasons to keep going!  Once you've watched the video if you are still struggling then its time to look at your mindset and ask your self the big question "are you committed to changing your life for the better".

Every weight loss journey has highs and lows but the ultimate key the one that makes the difference between success and failure is motivation, keep motivated and you will succeed! Watch the video, listen to the advice, look at the people in it and then make your decision.

The best person in the world to motivate you is you, go for it.....











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Get Motivated, Stay Motivated

Five or six days every week, Sue Wolcott, 41, hits the treadmill in her basement.

It's a habit that started after she named her exercise machine Ripley. "It's as in 'Believe it or not, I'm working out,'" says Sue, a teacher in Grand Island, New York. "I would never skip out on meeting a friend, so I decided to treat my treadmill like a person." It's become, ahem, a running joke in her set; one pal now refers to her own treadmill as Dusty. "It's just us being silly, but when I'm asked if I've seen Ripley, I really love answering yes," Sue says.

Despite what you may think, the trick to exercising regularly isn't finding your inner enforcer. Rather, "it's getting creative and tapping your natural motivations," says Kelly McGonigal, PhD, a health psychologist and fitness instructor at Stanford. 

We asked women who work up a sweat almost every day for their stick-with-it solutions. 

1. Don't Put Away Your Gear.

From the moment she rises, Kristina Monét Cox, 26, has exercise on the brain. That's because the first things she sees are her sneakers and workout clothes. "I've got them next to the bed in plain sight," says Kristina, the CEO of a communications firm in Houston. "I've also got dumbbells right where I can see them in the bathroom, and a balance ball, a yoga mat, and a jump rope strategically placed throughout the house." Forgetting to exercise is never her problem.

Why it works: Visual cues are a wake-up call to your brain. "We all have competing priorities like work, family, chores. Sometimes we need a reminder to keep exercise at the forefront," McGonigal says.

2. Turn Your Commute Into A Workout.

On days that Monica Vazquez, 27, a master trainer for New York Sports Clubs in New York City, can't do her usual run, she stuffs her essentials -- keys, cash, credit card, phone and ID -- into a fanny pack and jogs home from work instead. "Running is a great workout, but it's also great transportation," she says. "Sometimes I get home even earlier than I normally do taking the subway."

Why it works: Running, walking, or biking somewhere you have to go anyway makes exercise feel time-efficient. "And you don't have to carve out another part of your day for it," says Michelle Fortier, PhD, professor of health sciences at the University of Ottawa. "It's an effective strategy for people who are busy from morning to night."

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This Woman Went To The Gym For A 100 Days

This short video is well worth the time to sit and watch, this lady is a true inspiration to everyone trying to loose weight. She decided she wanted to change her life, so she set her self a realistic goal and went for it! What she achieved in a 100 days is fantastic and totally proves that anything is possible if you just have the right mental attitude. Watch the video, set yourself a goal and then just do what she did, GO FOR IT!






You simply can't have enough motivational material around you as you start your weight loss journey, take copies to work, in your car, at home and even take them to bed! If you keep inspired you will keep achieving your goals, if you lose inspiration then it becomes very difficult. 

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