What Motivates You?

Long, autumnal run: check.

Motivation can be a tricky thing, especially as the weather cools off and the days get shorter.  The mornings are dark, the skies are overcast, and all that summertime energy has left the building (along with Elvis).

For me, motivation ebbs and flows -- and when it disappears, I often feel like it hasn't just stepped out for a moment, but rather that it hopped a flight to Ibiza and is now chillin' on a beach while sipping a cocktail served in a coconut.  Probably the kind with the little paper umbrella in it.

Which is uncool.

I know I need my workouts -- I turn into a total crankypants without them, and I always feel mentally and physically awesome when I consistently get my sweat on -- I rely on a few things to get me through the times when my motivation has fled the hemisphere entirely.

1) Good tunes: The right music can get me incredibly hyped and ready to run (I find that I'm really easily influenced by the mood of the music I'm listening to, so I have almost a total ban on mopey, sad songs), so I loaded up a workout playlist with songs that fire me up.  My favorite song right now, which is getting some super-heavy rotation in my iPod, is Bad Girls by M.I.A.  I first heard it on the pilot episode of The Mindy Project, and within a few seconds knew I needed to own it, ASAP.




2) Something to engage my brain:  When my iPod playlist gets tired, I rely on a steady stream of podcasts to make my run/date with the gym more interesting.  My favorites are Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR (comedy and current events -- what more could you want?)  and the Work Smart Lifestyle Show with Britt Michaelian.  They both get me thinking (and, in the case of Wait Wait, LMAO-ing), and I find that time flies when I'm listening to them.

3) The fact that I never regret working out:  There are times when I'm just plain tired and I find myself whining like a little kid at the prospect of hitting the gym ("Uuuuuuuuuugh! But I don't waaanna gooooooooo!"), but when that motif strikes, I try to remember this: there has never once been a time when I've regretted getting up and getting moving.  I always am glad that I did it; always glad that I pushed through the resistance; always happy about how much better I feel after a good workout.  To that end, I found this on Pinterest - this sums it up perfectly, does it not?