Who Or What Motivates You? You Said…Pt.1

Amended

Hi guys!  What better way to brighten up a “case of the Mondays” than to revel in what motivates all of us to persevere through our personal challenges, eh?  If you recall, I asked you guys who or what motivates you and I’ve compiled part of the list below.  There will be a part II tomorrow and a part III on Wednesday in which I will include my own motivators.  I would love if you would chime in on what you think about the varied spectrum of motivators below, and if you never had a chance to tell us, please tell us who or what motivates you!  You guys said…

• My future kids! And my blogging buddy Earthmother, who is an awesome role model. When I am faced with temptation, I ask myself “What would Earthmother do?” Hanlie.
• I would say that being healthy for my family is what motivates me. I want to live a long, full life and be as fit and healthy as possible. Americans accept being overweight, having diabetes, or dying from heart disease as “normal.” Disease is not normal — health is! Caitlin.
• My motivation derives from many goals I have. The range is:  1) I simply want to be able to walk up stairs without being winded; 2) I want to hit six buoys on a water skiing slalom course; 3) I want to complete a triathlon with my brother-in-law; and 4) I want to live a long life with my wife (my body has to last a long time to meet this!).  To meet my goals I first had to admit something to myself: I get bored easily and sometimes working out can be boring! To keep my short attention span happy, I utilize the many forms of workouts that exist in the world. I’ve come up with some approaches to working out that help me keep going:  1) I try to work out with a family member (I.E: my wife, my sister, my brother-in-law all swim together every weekend.)  2) I do sports I love: swimming, wakeboarding, waterskiing, surfing, etc…I hate running and biking and being in a gym. My motivation for those is the triathlon I’m committed to with my brother-in-law. Now I have to do them, but I’m not alone.  I love junk food. My motivation for eating well is the triathlon and all the sports I love. I can’t do that stuff if I don’t eat well.  I hope this helps! Derek (pictured below).




• Wish I had really thought about this before my eating spree last night, probably would have saved me a few thousand calories. Normally like to think of how far I’ve come and how close I am to my goal when I’m feeling sluggish. I also try to think about how important it is to be healthy when you are trying to have a baby, which we will be doing in a few months. I’m not only doing it for myself…I’m doing it for my future child. There are so many things that can go wrong with a pregnancy, I want to do everything that I can to help create a healthy baby. That means me being healthy. Now that’s motivation! Mendie.
• Having choices: It is one of the hardest things to have – it separates adults from children. Sometimes having to make the right choice does not follow a simple path but undertakes a battle within ourselves. I guess for me, what motivates me is wanting to do the right thing for me and in turn my family. We all need to align ourselves with people that make us strong, or to believe in something that gives us encouragement. We all need hope. “One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.  He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.  One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.  The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.’  The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: ‘Which wolf wins?’  The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘The one you feed.’” Mom.
• Alright, alright, this “lurker” will bite. Normally, I don’t need “extra” motivation – I just like working out and how it feels. But, when I’m really not feeling it, or I’m running and I just don’t want to do that last mile, I remember something my boyfriend said to me almost 2 1/2 years ago. I don’t remember the exact phrasing, but it was something along the lines of, “We all have the ability to change ourselves and potential for self-improvement. And I respect people who are working towards that goal of being their personal best.” I think we were talking about my job as an addictions counselor, but I apply it to lots of areas of life, including working out!  Emma.
• Looking at pictures of oxygen magazine, looking at fitness models, and looking in the mirror at the physique i have created and continue to work on motivates me.  Lizzy.
• After reading your post, I instantly had these two photos in my mind. They’re both from the Little Lakes Valley hike that I LOVE so much! The first one is just a small hill in the hike (where there are many!). My motivation comes from wanting to be able to make it up that hill and not be extremely winded. The next picture is of Long Lake in the Little Lakes Valley. Two lakes further than I went last year. There’s a beautiful trail on the left side of the picture, which leads to Chicken Foot Lake. Being able to continue on that trail is a HUGE motivator for me. The trail eventually leads to the Gem Lakes… and who wouldn’t want to see those?  Another motivation is music. Listening to, and creating. Right now, I feel like people won’t really listen to me, or take me seriously, and the comment I have imposed upon myself is, “What does this fat girl have to say that I want to hear?”. I want that voice in my head, or the part of me that came up with that terrible thought to just go away. I think a lot of my “performance anxiety” comes from my weight, and worrying about what people are thinking of me. I’d love it if my anxiety were ONLY based on performance. Lauren. (Her motivation pictured below).




• I have found that I am now my own motivator, which is weird sounding LOL. I love to push myself just that little bit. I also don’t like undone tasks or projects, which working out is for me. I am a work in progress and if I skip workouts, that doesn’t help me progress.  However, with that said, I just love working out. I could use more motivation to lose the last 10 pounds, as I am complacent right now. I look forward to your list!  Lori.
• Mine is a really boring answer, but truthfully when I’m struggling to motivate myself to exercise, what mainly helps me is thinking how glad I’ll be once I’m done.  But I’m loving the other more creative responses!  Crabby McSlacker.
• <3 you and this post. my motivation differs depending on what i’m doing. What motivates me to do yoga in the morning? knowing the feeling i’ll have afterwards. Sometimes its damn near PAINFUL to actually hit the mat – but i have to keep reminding myself of how amazing I’ll feel when I’m done.What motivates me in my pursuit of health? Ginge and the fam — knowing that my family = their happiness is reason enough to conquer my own obstacles each and every day. They keep me going!  Jenny.
• Seriously, seeing other bloggers living a healthy and active lifestyle really motivates me to do the same. The Skinny Plate.
• I get motivation from all sorts of sources – other blogs, magazines (Oxygen, Fitness, Women’s Health), my daughter and husband, the competition from others, and knowing that I’m pushing myself to be a little better, a little faster, a little stronger. PTG1002.
• My husband motivates me a lot. He’s very driven and responsible. Sometimes I get frustrated by my inability to juggle my entire life and he reminds me that doing the best I can really IS the best I can. Also, knowing that I am a huge influence in his diet and exercise regiment pushes me to keep up my own. I fall off the wagon sometimes, but I always remember that falling in the water isn’t how ones drowns; it’s staying there. xoxo hope life is beautiful my friend bella….Mrs. Meyers.
• This video here.  (Roni posted a link to this via Twitter last week).

In the News

• Alternet‘s, “Michael Pollan: Health Reform Will Create a Dieting Revolution” (9/14/09) here — Originally published in The New York Times on 9/10/09 but you’d need to register to access online.
• New Scientist, “Better world: Learn to Love Genetic Engineering” (9/14/09) here
• Science Daily‘s, “Children With Emotional Difficulties At Higher Risk For Adult Obesity” (9/14/09) here

Give-Away Round Up

• Win a $25 gift card to Naked Winery, and a hat too, here
• Win a Lucy Yoga outfit here

Wow.  I don’t know about you guys, but I sure am feeling motivated and can’t get a grin off my face!

<3, The Cranky (but motivated) One

Tags: inspiration, motivation