Works For Me Wednesday #3: Workout Motivation

So I got married a little over ten months ago and somehow once I was married I forgot how to work out- or just lost all motivation. Other things just took priority. I've always been very athletic and loved doing anything active so recently I decided I needed to get myself back into shape- and fast. I've always lacked the motivation to start again after a long break but I found something that really works for me.

I got this idea from someone and at first laughed at the idea, but it actually really works. Forget monetary rewards, sweet treats, or even pampering yourself and try STICKERS. I had a calendar laying around the house and went to CVS and bought a pack of stickers. Out of all the cute smiley faces, butterflies, and care bears, I chose student stickers that have motivational words in big bright letters. Now every day that I work out I get to look at a sticker that says, "YOU ROCK," or "GREAT JOB," or "WAY TO GO," and somehow it keeps me going. When I'm considering not going, I think oh but I want to put a sticker on the board.


Definitely a cheap alternative to new clothes or a massage as well. If you're daring, you can set a long term goal like I did. I have an expensive jacket I bought in the back of my closet with the price tags still on it. If I get 20 stickers up on my calendar between October 25th (when I started) and Thanksgiving, I get the jacket. If not, the jacket goes back to the store, and I end up even more depressed because I didn't work out and now I don't have the jacket. So basically it's a win-win situation. Maybe by Thanksgiving working out will become a habit, and I won't need stickers anymore. Or maybe I'll move to more low key stickers like the basketballs or turtles. Either way, stickers work for me!