Motivation is overrated...

Setting goals is an important aspect of any fitness plan. In order to choose the right fitness program, it's important to have some idea of what you want to achieve. Goals need to be concrete and measurable, so you have an objective way to determine if you're making progress, or whether you need to make adjustments to your fitness or eating plan.

Where does motivation fit into this? Motivation is an important factor when you've decide to become fit, be strong, eat healthy goods and set your fitness goals. You should understand what is driving you to want to change your life - and to be sure that your motivation comes from within. Be healthy for yourself first, and the benefits flow to everyone around you.

However - motivation should not be a factor in your day-to-day decision to work out. There will be days when you don't want to work out. You'll feel tired, sore, have a stuffy nose, have a stressful meeting at work - all of which would leave you completely unmotivated to go for a run or push play. My answer - feeling motivated should not be a factor in deciding whether or not to exercise. Once you've committed to healthy living, exercise is just another daily habit - just like taking a shower, brushing your teeth or watching your favorite TV show. Schedule the workout and get it done.

I used to rely on outside motivation to stay in shape. When I was training to run the NYC marathon back in 2005, that race was the driving force behind my running. The thought of stepping to to the starting line kept me going through my 20 mile training runs. I figured I would stay "motivated" by choosing another race to run once NYC was over. I finished the race, signed up for another marathon... then slowly, I started to feel burned out. I didn't especially want to run another 26 mile race (even though I did, seriously undertrained). Gradually, my running lost focus, and eventually I stopped altogether. I was serious about running, but I never fully internalized the goal of staying fit for myself.

I rediscovered my motivation to exercise back in March of this year. By that time I was sadly out of shape, and knew that I needed to make a change and rediscover my self-confidence. That was my motivation to get going - but now, after 7 1/2 months of constantly following a workout schedule, it's become a habit. I don't even think about whether or not I feel like working out. I reschedule, I make adjustments to my day, but those workouts get done.