Many people can tell you how to lose weight. But success comes from your own motivation.

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I was recently interviewed for the website GoHealthyGoFit about my favorite training music. I'm the type of sport who loves to go all out when I train. Hitting the wall elates me, and music plays a vital role in helping get that far.

You can find my list here along with a few others. (The article follows the photo of me shown here on the right.)The music I list is both fast and aggressive, which is really perfect for the things I love to do. Kickboxing, running, weight training, and more.

"Scarred" is by far my favorite, because I always loved to listen to it before a fight. "Go Away," is awesome for tough training but also makes me giggle. The article includes links, so you can have a listen to each song on my list. "Go Away" will probably make you giggle too.

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Motivation is as critical to exercise as a good pair of workout shoes. I have to admit that my willpower for exercise fades from time to time. When it does, it's time to find a new source of motivation. Recently, my son and I came up with a plan so we can help motivate each other.

After my son's soccer season ended, he decided he wanted to take up running. Every day, he walks down to the high school track and then runs a mile. While I know a lot of my fellow writers at That's Fit enjoy running, for me it's just a form of slow torture. Instead, I'm opting to exercise with fitness DVDs in my living room. And here's how I'm keeping motivated: My son made punch cards for each of us -- he gets a punch for every mile, and I get a punch for every mile-equivalent. When we've both punched out a complete card, we get to go do something special. (Probably bowling ... my son loves to bowl.) Since we both have to finish our individual cards, we'll have to keep each other on track.

Health has an interesting article about five different women and their sources of motivation for exercise. Motivation can come in many forms -- how you feel after exercising, wanting to look good in that pair of skinny jeans, improving health, etc. What's your source of exercise motivation?

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Can't get motivated to exercise? Don't blame your body -- it's always ready to work. It's that mind of yours holding you back.

Yep, the body wants to move. The mind? Not always. That's why it's key to cultivate mindfulness, says Director of Exercise Physiology at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Reba Schecter, M.S., P.T.

"Half of developing a strong exercise habit is noticing how good you feel once you've gotten going on your workout, and how great you feel afterwards," she says. "If you really pay attention to that enlivened, relaxed, good-tired feeling, it becomes much easier to get out the door next time and to your gym or yoga class."

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Dilemma: A pal or a loved one is heaving around a bit too much weight. You're worried this person is tipping the scales in a dangerous direction and you want to help. Appropriate? Or not so much? Parade magazine says if done the wrong way, approaching the topic can hurt feelings and lead to resentment. But with some tact, a little nudging isn't such a bad idea. Here's how to do it.

• Well, don't nag, that's for sure. No teasing either, no mater how mild. Encouragement is the key.
  
• Stress that you care about your friend or family member's health. Talk benefits – like a lower risk of disease and higher self-esteem.
• Promise you'll be a partner in fitness. Exercise is more fun with a buddy, but it also increases the chance of success. We're all less likely to quit when someone else is in the game with us.
• Trash the temptation. If you live with your special someone, rid the cupboards of diet derailers -- chips, cookies, cupcakes, soda -- and work together to plan healthy meals.
• Motivate. Offer incentives, like compliments or gifts – how about a pedometer, a personal training session, or an offer to watch your pal's kids while he/she works out?
• Lead the way. Be a good role model by practicing good diet and fitness habits. And when roadblocks get in the way -- and they will -- just get back on track, together.

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Do you have a fitness role model? Maybe a professional athlete that you look up to? I know I have a fitness role model, but it isn't anyone famous. My fitness role model is one of my best friends. She's a dedicated athlete who, for many years now, has participated in at least one Ironman competition a year.

I'll never forget the time I asked her how her trip to Florida was and after commenting on the weather and things her family did she casually said "Oh, and I placed well." I asked what she meant and she told me that she had run a marathon. I congratulated her and expressed my surprise because I hadn't known she was going to run a marathon while there. She nonchalantly said "It was only a marathon." Oh, to be so fit that a marathon is a non-event ... mere training for the real competition.

Elastic Waist posted about finding inspiration in these iron athletes. [via FitSugar] The author summed up the allure of the Ironman well: "It's about making a promise to yourself and then making it happen. It's about being, for one minute, something more than you are during your every day."

Who is your fitness role model?

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I remember watching Ice Castles as a kid and wanting nothing more than to be an ice skater. (Preferably without a terrible accident that caused blindness, though.) So maybe the movie is a bit cheesy and admitting that I had a little crush on Robby Benson certainly dates me as a child of the '70s, but it motivated me into trying something I'd never tried before. And that's exactly what a great sports movie can do.

FitSugar recently asked readers what their favorite motivational sports movies were... and they came up with a great list. Some of the picks are:

• Remember the Titans.
  
• Million Dollar Baby
• Miracle
• Rudy
  

Click over to FitSugar for the full list. A couple of my favorites that didn't make the list are Hoosiers and The Rookie. What other sports movies have inspired you?

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No need for an expensive trainer to motivate you in your fitness goals. A pedometer might be all you need.

Pedometers prompted a group of overweight folks in one University of Michigan study to move 20 to 40 minutes longer than those who didn't wear one. That's 2,000 to 4,000 more steps or an extra one to two miles, based on a three-mph walk. Logic has it that self-monitoring is too hard -- we tend to think we've walked longer than we have, for example. But watching a pedometer gives us the cold, hard facts on how many miles we've logged. Consider a pedometer a personal trainer you can wear.

I don't personally have a pedometer but I use my treadmill to chart much of my success. When I'm beginning to wind down my workout, I'll push myself if I see I'm just short of an accomplishment. If my three mile run has me completing, say, 30 minutes, I'll challenge myself to squeak in another two laps -- that's a half a mile and a whole lot more than I'd conquer if I was running outdoors, unaware of how my pursuits were adding up.

Are you a pedometer person?

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Hooray! Fellow blogger,Jacki Donaldson just brought up a great subject. Using your phone to help you stay motivated works! I use text messages to harass my personal training clients, and I always receive feedback that they've inspired and kept the recipients in line when tempted to go to the dark (not-so-healthy) side.

Having said that, my brilliant colleague, Tracy Benham, is the mastermind behind TxtVox's Get Fit text messages. The girl is a sharp exercise physiologist and fitness trainer (we met getting our Master's Degrees in Exercise and Sports Sciences). Let her in your mind a couple of times a week ... and sooner rather than later ... your body will rockin'! The texts come twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, and are really just there to motivate, educate, and harass you like a personal trainer would.

Go to TxtVox.com. Find the All About Me section, and then check off the box Get Fit! And did I mention that it's free? Oh yes! It is. If you're someone who could use a bit of consistent motivation from a REAL-DEAL professional ... TxtVox.com Get Fit messages are the way to go.

Motivational pop and rock music is the key to strength training success. Really. A 2006 U.K. study says so.

A York St. John University study found that students could hold a 2.4-pound weight straight out in front of their bodies at shoulder height for up to 10 percent longer when strong lyrics were booming around them. All-music workouts beat out both a partial-music workout and a white noise workout but only when the tunes were powerful enough to pump up exercisers.

Pick a song you'd belt out recklessly in the shower or in your car and use it to power your next workout. Or borrow this Women's Health recommended playlist. Or this one, compliments of Divine Caroline. Or this one, offered by Fitness magazine.

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Motivational problems: who doesn't have them? Nobody is really completely free of them because we all have days where we have to make ourselves get up and get moving. Now for some people getting (and staying) motivated is much worse than for others, and finding what works for you to get you moving can be quite a trick. Have you thought about what works for you? Is it rewarding yourself with something new? Or simply focusing on the satisfaction you get after a good workout?

The thing about motivation is that it's not something that can always be created in the same way -- different days need different inspiration. So even though you may have an idea or two of things that help get you in the mood for exercise, do those couple of things always work? If you're anything like me the answer is no, and what you really need is a whole list of ideas to run through every time you're having an off day because it's really hit and miss as far as what's gonna work and what isn't.

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Get over it! Haha, I just always wanted a reason to yell that out. And procrastination, especially in the area of your health, is as good a reason as any. Do you have a problem with procrastinating and just taking forever to really get started with all your lofty health and fitness goals? I do, totally. Once I'm going I'm usually able to stick with it for awhile and see some good results, but getting started is the real problem for me.

The reasons why people procrastinate can vary wildly, but I must say I agree with this take on it over at Cranky Fitness, which basically says that procrastinators aren't necessarily the lazy bums they're made out to be. You can be an awesome procrastinator and still be a very productive person -- just not in the desired target areas! So what's the issue? Well only you can answer that question, but it could be something as simple as being afraid of failure (that's when a good solid "get over it!" might help, and the realization that you're already failing by not even trying) or even that you're simply not expecting to enjoy it so you're putting it off for other things.

Try these tips they suggest to help "get over" your own procrastination issues:

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Money talks, and that's true for weight loss also. A new study has shown that people will lose weight for money, even if it's just a little. The best use of this information may not be for you to necessarily reward yourself at home (although if that works then go for it!) but for your employer to offer you incentives at work. Obviously having healthy employees benefits business in many ways, so by offering money to staff with healthy habits and weight loss everybody wins.

Apparently there are more studies in the works to find what the best dollar amounts are and if results and incentives work in the long term. How much would it take for you to lose weight? Honestly, any amount would encourage me (considering it's something I want to do anyway) but the more the better!

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Starting to exercise is easy, it's the continuing to exercise that is so difficult. Making exercise a habit, a regular part of your life that you do without thinking, is not easy but it is possible. What makes it so hard? According to this writer it boils down to 3 things:

• You have too many goals
• You think it's too hard
• You don't have enough motivation

And beating those 3 buzz-kills, or whatever other roadblocks you might be experiencing, can be done by following these 4 steps:

• Set yourself just one goal that is easy and measurable
• Log your efforts daily
• Report to others
• Add motivation as needed

These ideas make sense to me, and although they are all things we've heard before the trick is to actually do them consistently!

Via Lifehacker

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Does your fitness or dieting plan need a jumpstart? Why? Obviously you've stalled, or hit a wall, or fallen into a rut, or whatever, but what is it that makes you want to break free and get moving again? What are you trying to achieve?

Considering your goal and refocusing yourself is one way to get motivated again, but if that isn't doing the trick try this slight variation: name 5 things your current weight or fitness level is preventing you from doing. Your goal may be to lose 25 pounds, but a list of things you'd like to do may have goals on it like wearing a certain size jeans, looking great for a specific event, or doing something physical like rock climbing or kayaking. By naming specific things that you want to do when you're thinner/healthier you can rejuvenate your spirit and inspiration, and get the focus shifted off the scale and more onto your life. So what are 5 things that you can (and will!) do when you reach your goal that you can't do now? And just how bad do you want those things?

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