Tips for workout motivation (giveaway post)

Hiya friends! How's your Motivational Match-up going? Have you been supportive, encouraging & motivating?Has your Motivational Match-up helped you to stay strong during the holidays thus far?

Special guest poster today, MizFit has stopped by to give us a little push on our Motivational Match-ups. Read on...

By MizFit | December 1, 2009

Because really, People, who doesn’t need some extra tips for their arsenal this time of year.

• Find a partner(s). If you missed the boat on this round of MizFit Motivational Match-Ups just take a few minutes, identify the supporters in your life, & ask them if they’d mind helping you stay on track during the holiday season. Have extra cash? Hire a personal trainer accountability partner for a few sessions. Nothing sparks gym-motivation like knowing someone is waiting for you …and taking your money whether you show or not!

• Blog about it. If you're reading this chances are there’s no need to tell you this one. Nothing sparks motivation more than sharing your goals with the entire healthy living community. Not a blogger? Consider launching one *just* for the holiday season! Heck, you can password the blog if you’d like or not even tell anyone you’ve launched it. The mere act of typing out & posting your goals may be motivation enough.

• Set new short term goals. Im not one to suggest attempting anything other than weight *maintaining* during this season, however, that doesn't mean we need to roll 100% GOAL FREE! Try setting challenges which have nothing to do with the SCALE yet everything to do with FITNESS. Devise your own push-up challenge. Set a goal of walking your own personal 5k one weekend. Make the focus on increasing your fitness level before 2010 and not on changing the number on the scale.

• Always have an exercise plan B. Don't let “I'm not in the mood for XYZ workout” even qualify as an excuse. When planning your workouts for the week create a few back-up plans in case time or your motivation threatens to derail your exercise time. Snag a few workout DVDS, record a couple of workout TV shows, buy a jumprope or hula hoop at the Dollar Store. Always set yourself up for success & roll with a Plan B.

• Think outside the box. Keep your workouts FUN, ALWAYS CHANGING, & ENJOYABLE.

• Just start! It’s trite but very true that if we begin a workout (even if we decide from the start we’re “allowed” to stop) we typically tend to finish it. As fellow tribe-member Woody Allen said: 80% of success is showing up. Make showing up a non-negotiable.

• Set up a reward system. Another well-worn piece of motivation advice yet one which I frequently see people NOT doing. Make today the day you create a thorough longass list of things YOU find rewarding from the free to the costly. I carry my list like this with me *everywhere* & use it frequently as an Im stressed what would feel like a reward yet NOT contain sugar? reference.

And speaking of rewards.

Today I have a treat for one of us which would make the perfect reward to a workout week completed to perfection.

A spa-themed giveaway from Stonyfield which includes 4 coupons for free containers of Oikos organic Greek yogurt, a reusable Oikos tote bag, and the “Take- 5″ Anti-Stress spa kit, from Earth Therapeutics (a loofah massage sponge, Anti-Stress massage soap, a body brush, Anti-Stress massage lotion and a soothing gel eye mask).

To win, stop by MizFit's post & leave a comment (click here).

What’s your one best tip for sustaining workout motivation when life grows hectic?

Please to hit us *all* up in the comments.