We are excited to have our very first guest post this week.  This article comes from fellow  health nut Darcy Shaw.  Darcy is a personal trainer located in Denver, near Colorado Blvd. and I-25. If you are looking to shake up your workout routine contact him and he can figure out how to get you to your next goal!

Darcy can be contacted at (720)261-8863 or at Shawtraining@yahoo.com

When it comes to exercise and diet, the most important factor to getting started is getting motivated. As we all know, motivation comes from within. There is not a whole lot others can do for you when it comes to getting motivated. I am going to give you 7 not so typical ways to pull motivation out of thin air and put it into your soul so you can get your diet and exercise routine on track.

1.       Look at yourself in the mirror. No, actually LOOK at yourself. There are so many times we look in the mirror and avoid actually seeing reality. We overlook the things that really bother us and convince ourselves “it doesn’t look that bad”, or we make ourselves believe we will” fix it” later. If we actually look at ourselves with more of a constructive criticism mindset, and realize we could work on a few things we would find ourselves having more of a reason to make things better.

2.       Look at old pictures of yourself when you were in your prime physically. Remember how you looked and felt at that time of your life. Maybe it was only a year or two ago and you have put on unnecessary weight. Maybe you still have “baby” weight from 5 years ago. Whatever the case is, take a look at those old school pictures and know you can get back close to what you used to be with hard work and dedication.

3.       Don’t be so upset when someone tells you, “you look skinny” (if you used to be muscular) or “you look bigger” (if you used to be lean). Usually when people mention things like that, they are right and you could use that comment as fuel for your motivation fire. If you want to change something use those comments you consider negative as constructive criticism to turn your life around.

4.       Take a look at what you are eating. Do some calorie counting and see if you have a terrible diet. I have a friend who drinks a lot of beer, after he took it upon himself to see how many calories he consumed per week in beer; he realized that was not what he wanted out of his life. He changed instantly. There is an example on my website of how easy it is to over indulge on calories, sugar and fat without you even having a clue (http://www.shawtraining.com/Nutrition.html)  .  Do you need to have a perfect diet… no. But if your diet consists of 65% fats, 30% protein and 5% carbs… you should probably change that.

5.       Do you find yourself staring at someone of the same sex and being envious of that person because they have a nice body.  If this is you, then turn that envy into a reason to get your ass in shape. We all see someone who has a nice body and want that. The only difference between them and everyone else is that they usually eat right and have a workout regimen that produces results. It is hard work to be in good physical condition, and if it were easy everybody would do it.

6.       If you are a person who likes challenges, challenge yourself to get into shape. If you are used to being challenged mentally at work, move that challenge to another part of your life and get into better physical condition. Eating properly and working out while fitting them into an already busy schedule is a challenge in itself. There is nothing better than becoming dedicated, adjusting your schedule and making changes to not only your mind and body,…. But your LIFE. The benefits of a healthy diet and exercise far out weigh whatever excuses and reasons you have for not getting better at both.  If you want to argue that contact me, I would enjoy having that conversation with anyone.

7.       If you have kids or family members who need to change their lifestyle, do it for them. Change your life so that you can show them they can change theirs. Grab them and take them with you. Having a workout partner or two for accountability is always the best way to go. I talk about accountability often because it is such a powerful tool. Find someone who will hold you accountable and vice versa. It will make those days you don’t want to hit the gym, or stay on top of your diet, more bearable.

With the busy lives and schedules that we have today, it can be hard to “find time” to eat properly and workout, not to mention do it often enough to make a difference. Along with this, comes the most important variable, which is motivation. No matter how much time you have or can make, without motivation to change your routine, you have nothing. Take some of the “negatives” in life to help fuel your motivation fire. Make a change in your life. Change your routine, attitude, diet, lifestyle and your LIFE. People spend so much time running……………. from RUNNING. Stop hiding , stop making excuses, stop blaming everyone else, stop making excuses and stop making excuses. Fuel that motivation fire, and change your life. It will make you and the people around you happy.