1. Try out a new exercise class.
2. Discuss your family history of illness with a relative who lived it.
3. Imagine your doctor praising you for excellent health.
4. Tell a friend or family member about your progress and inspire them.
5. Write down your obstacles and create strategies to overcome them.
6. Remember that a lifestyle change is about progress, not perfection. Read this.
7. Set daily goals for yourself in addition to long-term goals.
8. Remind yourself of all the things you’re doing right and how far you’ve already come.
9. Ignore setbacks and just keep going, no matter how big they are.
10. Know that EVERYONE has bad days, no matter how perfect they seem.
11. Visualize yourself doing what you think is impossible. Do this every day.
12. Write down phrases and quotes that motivate you. Keep them with you. Here are 200 quotes that will inspire you.
13. Experiment with new healthy foods.
14. Make sure you’re getting at least 8 hours of sleep. Here is help for falling asleep.
15. Keep a journal of your progress so when you feel frustrated, you have written proof that what you’re doing is working.
16. Take a yoga or meditation class. Here’s a guide to how meditating can help you lose weight.
17. Find an exercise partner.
18. Write down in great detail how you feel after a great workout or a healthy meal.
19. Write down how it feels to miss a workout or how your body feels after an unhealthy meal.
20. Do NOT compare yourself to others. Only your own personal best and worst.
21. Buy yourself an awesome outfit that makes you feel confident. Wear it NOW. Not when you reach a certain size.
22. Read inspiring stories of other people’s successes.
23. Join an online community of people with your same goals.
24. Change up your workout routine, try a new method like plyometrics.
25. Focus on your goals that are realistic and within reach so you aren’t constantly disappointed. Then when you reach that goal, start with the next one.
26. Hire a nutrition coach or a personal trainer, or both.
27. Download all new songs for your workouts.
28. Sign up for a competition or a race.
29. Only allow positive thoughts into your head. Beating yourself up does nothing.
30. Visualize yourself meeting your goals in great detail-what you will look like, what you will wear, how you will feel. Do it everyday.
31. Replace your negative thoughts with positive mantras. Example: “I’m so fat” replaced with “I have come so far.”
32. Stop stepping on your scale. Just stop. Here’s why.
33. Be honest with yourself. Lying to yourself about how much you’re eating cheats no one but you.
34. Remind yourself that progress is progress, no matter how fast or slow.
35. Think of someone you know who can’t exercise due to their circumstances, someone who would love the opportunity to workout but can’t. Do it for them.
36. Read a book about health or fitness, or a biography of someone who overcame hardship. Let it inspire you.
37. Watch a motivating video on YouTube.
38. Do not allow quitting to be an option. No matter what your eating looks like or how much you mess up, do. not. quit. Here’s is why failure is a good thing.
39. Picture yourself later in life. Do you want to be bent over and fragile at 75 or even 85, or do you want to keep your muscle tone and walk around like you’re still young?
40. Don’t wait for motivation. Just do it and motivation will come.
41. Get rid of your wardrobe as it gets too big. You’re not quitting, so you won’t need it anymore.
42. Have your body fat measurements taken regularly.
43. Organize a workout or fitness group.
44. Make friends with someone who is fit that you admire.
45. Take your blood pressure regularly and watch it improve.
46. Buy new running shoes or workout clothes.
47. Don’t try to get through an entire lifetime of change right now. One meal at a time, one workout at a time.
48. Lay out your workout clothes every night so all you have to do the next day is throw them on.
49. Write down a list of what you are grateful for in your health and fitness, every day.
50. Believe in yourself. If you don’t yet, pretend that you do until you actually do.
51. Get your family and friends involved. Talk to them about how they can support you.
52. Take your kids outside and play a sports game with them.
53. Tell yourself you deserve this. Because YOU DO.
54. Make yourself a detailed plan for your workouts and meals that you will follow daily.
55. Take a night off every now and then and eat what you want.
56. Trade healthy recipes with friends.
57. Sign up for our newsletter and have inspiration delivered to your inbox weekly.
58. Reward yourself for meeting your daily goals consistently.
59. Try a new sport like soccer, swimming, rock climbing. Here’s how to make exercise your own playtime.
60. Re-discover an old sport you loved when you were younger.
61. Take a week off from working out every few months. You need the physical and mental break.
62. Remind yourself that you are only going to get out of it what you put into it. Big effort means big rewards.
63. Remind yourself that while other things and life in general may be out of your control, only you are in control of what you eat and your workouts.
64. Do not listen to your fears. They are lying to you.
65. Eat and work out like an athlete. Pretty soon, you will be one.
66. Don’t over-think it. Just do it.
67. Re-frame the way you look at exercise. It’s your anti-depressant, your energy for the day, your good feelings. It is not a punishment, it is a reward.
68. Re-frame the way you look at healthy food. It is fuel that makes you feel good and runs the machine that is your body.
69. Start a public blog or a twitter account for your health and fitness journey. You’ll have accountability and you’ll inspire others, which will keep you inspired.
70. Watch movies about food and health. Food, Inc., Forks Over Knives, King Corn are all available on Netflix.
71. Accept your shortcomings. So you have bad genetics or slow metabolism. Accept it and do it anyways.
72. Remember that weight loss is scientific. You’re not the exception to science. If you do it, results will come. Every single human being is capable of change.
73. If what you’re doing isn’t working, try something else.
74. Make your lifestyle match your goals. Don’t torture yourself by frequenting bars and restaurants with people who eat poorly all the time. Stop going to happy hour every day and find friends who would rather join a gym or sports team with you.
75. Talk to yourself like you’re someone that you love. Picture your words to yourself aimed at your child, your sister, your friend. If you wouldn’t say it to them, don’t say it to yourself.
76. Aim for long-term gratification (reaching your goals) over short-term gratification (eating the pizza).
77. If someone criticizes you, imagine it bouncing off of you. Don’t give their words power. Remember that the best revenge is a life well-lived.
78. Go shopping at a health food store.
79. Do not use a mess-up as an excuse to quit. Wipe the slate clean and start again.
80. Time goes by no matter what. Make it count and be ahead of where you are now when you look back, even if it’s just a little bit.
81. Stay focused on what you want, not what you don’t have.
82. Remember that you will never get this day back. Live it fully.
83. Write down your excuses and find examples of people who overcame them.
84. Don’t feel guilty about not having the same goals as others. Be clear about what YOU want and forget about what everyone else does, even if it’s all of society.
85. Remember that actions speak louder than words. You won’t get to your goals by just talking about them.
86. Close your eyes and imagine that you have just been diagnosed with a serious lifestyle-related illness. How do you feel? Do you have regrets? Wish you could go back and do things differently? Open your eyes, you have that chance.
87. Avoid feeling deprived by not just eliminating bad habits, but replacing them with good ones.
88. Write down a list of your goals but make them present tense. “I am healthy” “I am strong” “I work out everyday” “I eat for fuel” “I am confident and secure with my body”. Paste them on your mirror and read everyday.
89. Recognize when you are overwhelmed with changes, take a step back and try again in smaller steps. Here are a few baby steps to start with.
90. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or advice from someone who is familiar with health and fitness. They’ll be honored that you asked.
91. Do not let toxic words or people get the best of you. Someone who ridicules or shames you for wanting to change for the better does not deserve your attention or time.
92. Use your workouts to manage your stress instead of skipping them because you are stressed. Here are 50 more ways to manage stress.
93. Put yourself first so that you are able to care for the people around you and show them the best way to live.
94. Pictures of fit role models and bodies are great, but learn to recognize when it’s actually frustrating you and not inspiring you. “Why don’t I look like that?”
95. Choose your own “theme song” and play it when you are lacking motivation.
96. Always strive to beat your personal bests and celebrate when you do.
97. Picture someone who has told you you’re not good enough or criticized you, and kill a workout to “show” them.
98. Make a friendly bet with someone close to you that you can reach your goal by a certain date.
99. Find your instant gratification and feed off of it. Looking better takes time, but feeling better is instant and ongoing.
100. Don’t just track weight loss progress: track your performance and health progress too, so you have more to feel good about.
101. Relax and have fun with it! Eat enjoyable foods, have fun with your workouts, be creative and enjoy yourself!