If the words "jumpstart your fitness" sound like something that applies to you then what you probably need is renewed motivation. Motivation is the gas that keeps your workout plan moving -- and although it's cheaper than the gas that moves your car (it's free!) the trade-off is that it's much harder to come by. There's no one way to motivate everybody -- heck, there's not even one way that will always work for motivating one same person. It's all about your mood, and your current situation. What helped you drop that last 5 pounds two summers ago may not mean anything to you at all this year, and maybe you've got other things in your life on top of it all that you didn't have to deal with before, like children or a new job.

It's tricky to figure out what's going to trip your trigger and get you moving again, especially when it feels like you've been dieting and exercising forever and you just want to rest. Remembering that being healthy and getting in shape is about making permanent lifestyle changes can help, and if losing weight feels like true exhausting 'work' to you then maybe you need to make some changes on how you're going about it. Not to say it will always be a totally easy piece of cake, but you shouldn't be miserable either.
When you're having trouble keeping up your new routine, or if you're having trouble getting started, it's worth it to do some research and find out what drives you. There's no sense in losing the ground you've already made, giving up on the goals you'd set for yourself in the future, and forgetting about all the reasons you had for starting on this path in the first place. To get you started on finding your own personal motivation here are 5 things to think about:

• Make a plan. Write it down and tell as many people as you can so it's "real." It's not just in your head anymore -- people know about it and may ask you how you're doing in the future. Don't you want to be happy they ask and be able to give them good news? Not to mention having a plan will help you keep yourself on track and keep focused.
• Start with small changes. Especially if you're just getting started or you've taken a long break, find small things you can do to ease into it, and slowly increase until you're on track.
• Learn to love change. Don't let change be scary -- look forward to it! And although you may be comfortable with the same workout everyday, try switching things up every now and then to keep boredom from sneaking up on you.
• Pick a partner. Not only can you keep each other motivated when one or the other is having an off day, but a workout buddy gives you someone to enjoy the successes with also!
• Reward yourself. Find meaningful ways to reward yourself for small achievements along the way, not just when you get to the end goal.