That's Fit

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?

Dick Hoyt, 67, and his son Rick, 46, have accomplished more than many of us could imagine. They've climbed mountains, completed 224 triathlons (including six Ironmans), 66 marathons, a 45-day cross-country bike ride, and more. Obviously, that's inspiring in and of itself.

What makes it AMAZING is that Rick is a quadriplegic and cannot walk or talk -- he was born with cerebral palsy, which kept him from ever being able to control his muscles and limbs, including his vocal chords.

Dick started participating in races and endurance events with his son when Rick was just 11, and the duo hasn't taken more than two weeks off since. Dick continues to train and compete because Rick gets so much joy out of it, and it makes him happy to see his son happy.

Ever wonder where the phrase "No Pain, No Gain" came from? No, it wasn't thought up as a slogan for a sneaker campaign or weight lifting equipment, but it was actually first coined as "there is no gain without pain" by Benjamin Franklin in a piece he wrote called "The Way to Wealth."

It's amazing how words can be so simple, so true, and so motivating. One of my all time favorite motivating phrases is "Somebody busier than you is out running right now." I really helps me get perspective. What are some of the things you say to yourself to get moving and motivated?


Via Book of Joe

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.

I think sometimes, or most of the time maybe, we all get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Choices and decisions get rushed and the lines between what we need, what we want, and what we're actually doing start to blur. The truth is that although it's great to have all kinds of different goals in life you have to be careful you're not trying to do too much at once. When is the last time you really thought about your priorities? Not everything can be at the top of the list. Where is your health on that list? Are you really giving your top priorities the most effort and focus? It seems many people say 'health and losing weight' is a top priority, but then they bog themselves down with so many other things they hardly have time to work on it. Whether you like it or not that means it's at the bottom of the list, not the top.

So take a few minutes to think about what's important to you and to make some decisions. Make the choice to choose, and you may be surprised at how much focus, determination, and newfound success you find you suddenly have.

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.

In a recent set of face-to-face interviews with eight St Louis area pediatricians it came to light that doctors feel pretty useless when it comes to helping obese children and their families lose weight and get healthier. Those that are successful come to the doctor's office already motivated to make changes and the doctor simply needs to answer questions and get them on the right track, but families that do not walk in raring to go are frustrating for doctors because often there's nothing they can say to get them instantly fired up and motivated towards lasting change.

The results of this study seem to point out that finding ways to get families to take an interest in getting healthy on their own, before they go in to see the doctor, is key. Then they can use their time with the doctor for questions and guidance, and they'll have the necessary motivation to keep the momentum going in the months after they've left the pediatrician's office.

If the gym isn't for you then you may have automatically ruled out the option of hiring a personal trainer, but you really don't have to. A study shows that people who work with a personal trainer in their home get just as much benefit in the way of physical results and mental motivation as those who work with their trainer in a gym setting.

One down side of having a personal trainer come to your home is cost, however. It may not be true in every case, but generally speaking I would guess having them travel to you (as opposed to you traveling to them at the gym) has got to cost at least a little extra (if not a lot) -- but maybe it's worth it?

Spend all day sitting in front of a computer? Although that generally isn't a healthy way to spend hours on end, many of us just can't avoid it. But, surprisingly, there is a small upside: the internet, sitting right in front of you, is a powerful tool for weight loss.

In a study that compared internet-based exercise programs against more traditional printed-on-paper plans the internet programs finished right up there in terms of effectiveness and motivational power. Both groups kept activity logs and filled out regular questionnaires to keep them on track, which I think may have been the biggest help, but it is nice to know that online programs can be successful. For many people the internet is just so much more convenient these days than anything else.

So, depending on your situation, you might want to try squeezing in just a little websurfing as long as you're going to be stuck in front of that computer anyway. It might do your body good!

I'm a big fan of the occasional cheat day, but of course blowing your diet can be hard on your health depending how often and how majorly you mess up. But when thinking about what you'll have to deal with when "falling of the dieting wagon," there might be more to consider than just the cost in "pounds gained" or "efforts wasted." What about financial impacts? What about harm to your wallet and an unpleasant dent in your shopping budget?

Okay, so this chart of costs is a little over-the-top, but it gets its point across. If, for whatever reason, your health isn't enough motivation to get you through a rough patch and keep you on track, maybe focusing on a financial angle will work instead. They came up with $3538.44 in additional costs incrued by giving in to temptation, and you better believe I can think of much better ways to spend that kind of dough than on extra doctor visits and prescriptions!

I don't know if there's any scientific proof to back it up, but to me it always seems like the more muscular you are the more weight you gain the minute you stop working out. But whether it's fact or fiction, it certainly seems to be what happened to Army specialist Maggie -- as soon as she was no longer in the military the pounds started packing on big time.

This article actually a pretty inspirational story, whether you go for the diet plan side of it or not. It's a good reminder that even the buffest of people have to work hard to stay that way!

I don' t know what the exact number is, but I do know that the vast majority of weight loss and fitness related New Year's resolutions have already ended in failure. And it isn't even February yet, how sad! Truth is that even though many people are good at supporting and motivating their friends and family, they suck at helping themselves. If you are your own worst enemy when it comes to keeping yourself on track, then maybe you just need to learn how to be kinder to yourself and focus some of that caregiver energy inward. This article has 10 tips that seem to share the theme of developing positive habits and coping methods -- like signing an actual pledge to yourself that you'll reach your goal, and calling on your own personal "911 squad" whenever you're about to do something self-destructive.

In theory, losing weight and getting fit should be one of the easiest things in the world for anybody to do: by eating less and exercising more. But something hangs us all up and makes it one of the hardest things instead. Just think, though, how successful you could be if you could only learn to conquer your own inner demons.

I'll be totally honest -- if there's ever a good day to procrastinate on your fitness plan and "start tomorrow" I think today, Christmas Day, is the perfect day for that. But even if you plan on starting the physical exercise tomorrow, there's no reason you can't start getting motivated today. Motivation is key, it's paramount, to your success. And the more thoroughly you motivate yourself the easier it will be to stick to your plan once you get it going.

Here are some ideas taken from a survey of experts to amateurs, so one or a few of these might work for you:

• Use stickers on a calendar to track your workouts, or tape your goals up on the bathroom mirror or refrigerator. The idea is to keep a visual reinforcement of what you promised yourself.
• Join a club, any club, even one you might not normally think of yourself fitting into. It definitely won't be boring, you'll meet new people, and have others counting on you to be there.
• Make a commitment to a goal. Pick an event, like a 5k run or a weekend biking getaway. Once you make reservations, or pay deposits and entry fees, you'll be invested (literally!).
• Dance! Music is a great motivator in and of itself. If you're not in the mood to workout, the right tune can change your mind and get you moving in no time.
• Reward yourself with luxury. Try putting a dollar in a jar every time you go to the gym or get outside for that jog. At the end of the month go get your nails done, have a massage, or buy whatever pampering you don't get on a regular basis.

So today I am not going to worry about what I'm eating, or whether or not I worked out. I am giving myself permission to procrastinate! But I am going to think about what I'm gonna do tomorrow (and by tomorrow I don't mean next week or next month!) and I'm going to renew my focus and motivation to make sure I get off to a good start. Looking over this list of motivators, I think the whole "stickers on the calendar" thing works the best for me. It's addictive somehow, sticking little stickers on day after day -- it almost gets hard to take a day off my workout just because I want that fun little row of designs to go on uninterrupted! ...anyway...

Happy Holidays!