5 Ways I Stay Motivated To Exercise

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Hey good people!

“I wish I was as motivated as you are.”

That’s one of the most common comments I hear from other women when I talk about exercise or post an update or inspirational (at least I hope it’s inspirational) video or photo to encourage people to get moving.

Why am I so passionate about it?

I could post hundreds of links to different articles about the benefits of movement. It’s one of those things “we all know,” but don’t always do.

What most women I talk to want to know is how to not just consistently make exercise a part of their lives, but how to love it or look forward to it in some way.

So this week, here are my top five ways I stay motivated to keep moving. I have eight years of evidence that this works.

In the years before that, I was a stop-and-start exerciser. I would step in and out of consistent patterns or I’d trudge through things I found boring and eventually drift away.

I’d find my way back, and then let go again.

When I made major changes in the way the way I thought about my body, my weight, and my life, that was when my relationship to exercise changed.

Here’s a breakdown of the ways that have made the biggest difference in my life, and I hope it helps you. As I tell my clients, “take what you need and leave the rest.”

1. It’s not just about “willpower” or “discipline.” This is what comes first for me. Click the pic to play this video where I reveal more.

THIS video! Watch.

2. It truly brings peace into my life.

I am transparent about the fact that I manage depression and anxiety. I take medication for it and my life is full of supportive strategies to take care of myself.

Movement is in the top five.

Studies show that moving on purpose has all sorts of positive effects on your brain — feel good chemicals and endorphins.

Movement is medicine.

I do a variety of fitness activities — everything for intense training to yoga to Zumba; and no matter how challenging or fun each of those activities is, they all ultimately bring peace into my life.

My brain is better for it.

I feel like the road of life is smoother and that all of the strategies I have in place to take care of myself and the stress of life fall into place more readily.

3. I choose to have fun.

All of those silly selfies with my wild hair and duck lips are my way of having fun with it. It’s really a mixture of pride and fun.

The “fun” you see in that photo is not just about me being sassy post-hot yoga class; it’s also about the pride and determination I put into finding the fun in doing something challenging.

I don’t do a lot of yoga — maybe once a month, so I don’t have much of a “practice” — but part of the fun to me is going to see what I can do, to be with other people and feel the satisfaction of getting it done. It’s fun because I’m open and curious.

Choose something you don’t know much about or don’t do often. Go into it with an attitude of losing your grip on the fear of being awkward or it being hard (it’s okay if it’s hard, by the way), and embrace curiosity and the possibility that you just may have fun.

4. My people.

If you’ve been hanging out with me on this blog or on social media (or maybe you’re one of my clients), you know I’m a big fan of group exercise — or at least having a buddy or partner to work out with every so often.

I have found a family in fitness and I cherish that. Many of these people have become very close friends.

Not only do we share meals together, go to movies or trade texts throughout the day, but we’ve been there for each other during triumphant and troubled times: births, deaths, travel, buying and selling houses — even surviving elections where some of us weren’t just “at odds” — but dealt with chasms of different beliefs.

I wouldn’t know these people if I hadn’t been vulnerable and showed up in gyms and fitness studios to take care of my body among them.

It has made a huge difference in my life and I’m not just grateful to the people that I know, but to myself for taking a chance.

The benefits of exercising in community is backed up by research, by the way — it’s not just a Laura Wagner random opinion.

We live in a world where people are reporting that loneliness is one of their biggest struggles.

We’re surrounded by ways to connect with the little computers we hold in our hands; yet no matter how much we communicate via social media or text, nothing will ever beat face-to-face and voice-to-voice contact.

We need each other. Go out and find your people; they are out there.

5. The next generation.

Everything I do is contributing to how I am raising my children. I am modeling what health and wellness looks like.

They know it’s a priority for me (and their dad).

They know it means we will likely get to spend more time with them on this earth because we take care of ourselves.

I’m watching now as my son wants to sign up to play baseball every season. I’m watching my daughter take her yoga mat to the park to practice with her friends.

Movement is about me and my health, and that is enough; but it’s also a gift that I am passing on to my children to live longer, healthier and happier lives.

**If you want lessons and tips like this to motivate you to move your body and in your life, I have developed a beautiful group coaching program to show you the way.**

MOVE And The Way Will Open is a smart, practical and thoughtful curriculum to help you nurture your mental and physical well-being that’s a mix of personal development and play.

Registration is open through June 22nd and the program begins on June 25th. Get into MOVE now.

This will be the last time I teach the MOVE program live.

I will be releasing it as a digital self-study program next year, which it great, but it won’t have the added magic of my live coaching in your classes and the connection with others in your secret Facebook group.

You’ll get six solid weeks of coaching tools delivered to you: written lessons, challenges, worksheets, journaling questions, videos — and so much more.

You’ll be in a private Facebook community with other members of the group so that you’ll thrive with the combination of my coaching and the connection with other like-minded women.

I’m going to teach you all I know about my passion for movement, how it can change your body, and most of all, how it can and will change your life.

We will talk about nutrition and nourishment.

I’ve taken my background in psychology, coaching and fitness to create this program.

And it’s not just what I know professionally — it’s my way of life.

I limit the number of spots in this program so I can keep the group intimate and connected; I think that is necessary for the women I serve to get the results they deserve.