What. Motivates. YOU.?

                    Its been a while since I last blogged ~  August was a VERY BUSY month for me!  BUT. IM. BACK. and READY. to get refocused on whats important to ME!!

MOTIVATION is defined as:  Giving a reason to act. The act of giving somebody a reason or incentive to do something.

                    After reading the definition of MOTIVATION I thought long and hard about WHAT. MOTIVATES. ME.!  I feel that in order to succeed, with weight loss and fitness, you need to surround yourself with things, and or people, that motivate you and help to keep you focused.  I created a list of, who and what, helps motivate me!

THINGS. THAT. MOTIVATE. ME ~ (not in any order of importance, they are ALL. IMPORTANT. TO. ME.!)
*MUSIC ~ Music plays a HUGE role in motivating me!  I HAVE TO have good ass shakin music when I workout or its a no go! All the songs that I listen to when I workout have a fast beat so that way it helps to keep me moving.  I cant stress enough how important it is to listen to music while working out ... I couldnt do it any other way!

*MY BOYS ~  My BOYS motivate me!  I want to be around for a long time with them.  I want to be there for their kids and their kids kids! :) I want to make my boys proud of me, and I also want to be a positive role model for them.  Nothing feels better than having YOUR KIDS tell you that they are PROUD. OF. YOU. and what YOU have accomplished! :) Working out helps give me the patience to be a better mom, listener and friend to my boys!

*MY HUSBAND ~ My husband motivates me!! He is an amazingly hard working man ~ Im so lucky to have him! Actually we are so lucky to have eachother! He motivates me to want to be a better WIFE, LOVER and BEST FRIEND! and I. SWEAR. TO. YOU. ... Working out and taking care of yourself makes you feel SEXY, which in turn, makes you a better partner (if you know what I mean! ;))!! ~ It creates confidence for days!! :)

*SIZE 27 SKINNY JEANS ~ Im now wearing a size 27 in Miss Me & Rock Revival skinny jeans (bootcut jeans too!).  Being able to fit in a 27 (or size 4) jean is mind blowing for me.  Its motivation to want to stay in this size for the rest of my life.  I make sure to try my jeans on at least once a week to make sure all is good! Cause as you know ladies, JEANS. DONT. LIE.!! ~ They will tell you if you are puttin on a lil weight! :)

*COMPLIMENTS ~  Compliments, or acknowledgements, on the results of the hard work that I have done, and still continue to do, on myself is a HUGE motivator for me!  It makes me want to keep going ..  It helps justify what I am doing in so many ways!  I always try to compliment people around me because its such a good feeling to be recongnized for whatever it is you are doing to make a difference in your life or even someone elses!

*NEW WORKOUT CLOTHES ~  a new workout top, shoes or pants always motivates me! Its fun to get something new, and when its cute and a smaller size then when you first started, its EVEN BETTER!  You should feel good in your clothes when you workout no matter what ~ NO. FRUMPINESS. ALLOWED.!!

*LOOKING BACK AT OLD PHOTOS OF ME ~ Looking back at old photos of me has to be one of my BIGGEST. MOTIVATORS.!!  Seeing the results of my hard work, when I compare my before and after pictures, is PRICELESS! Its sad that I used to look that way BUT its all good now!  Im just thankful to be on this side of the fence in my 40's.  Im glad to have had that part of my life over and done with ~ It made me who I am today, so NO. REGRETS.!  and IM. PRETTY. DAMN. PROUD. OF. MYSELF.!!

*HEARING OTHERS TELL ME THAT I MOTIVATE THEM ~ What a compliment when I hear from others that I. MOTIVATE. THEM.!! That is HUGE! It makes me feel amazing and un-stoppable!  I LOVE to help motivate others ... its so powerful! Thats one reson why I write this BLOG, I hope to motivate at least 1 person with it! (along with myself!) :)

*GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES ~ Group exercise is an awesome motivator for me!  I enjoy group exercise over all other forms of fitness.  I feel that you get energy off of eachother in a group setting which makes for a fun and productive workout! You have to make exercise fun for yourself or you will not make it a habit.  It helps that I have found an amazing instructor for the classes that I take ..  I am proud to call her my friend! Also when you get involved in Group X classes you form friendships and with these friendships you create ACCOUNTABILITY, which is also HUGE!!

*FITNESS MAGAZINES AND BOOKS ~ You can never know too much!  I read to keep up with the newest and greatest workouts and fitness equipment and also recipes and diet ideas!

*FEELING COMFORTABLE IN MY CLOTHES ~ Feeling comfy in my clothes is an amazing feeling! Like I said earlier, your Jeans dont lie ~  Some of your other clothes (stretchy ones) can lie a little bit .. But you know when they are feeling tight or just not the same.  Feeling comfy in your clothes is the best feeling and its a pretty damn good motivator! :)

*THE DREADED SCALE ~ I weigh myself EVERY MORNING .. no matter what time of the month!  It keeps me accountable and motivates me to NEVER. GIVE. UP. NO. MATTER. WHAT.!! You have to take the good days with the bad days, and either way, you need to know that magic number on the scale! :)

*MY BLOG! ~ My BLOG motivates me to keep on ~ keepin on! :)  I have to practice what I preach so what better way to motivate myself ... and hopefully motivate a few others along the way! I just wish I got a little more feedback from my readers so I know Im not the only one reading it! :) 
Feedback would also be a huge motivator for me!! (hint.hint!)


So that was a list that I created off of the top of my head, and Im sure I could think of many more motivators for myself, but this list is long enough! I think that you all get the point!!

Surround yourself with things that motivate YOU and I. PROMISE. YOU., that in no time at all, you will be 'LIVING. THE. LIFE. YOU. LOVE.'!!