How to stay motivated to workout

Here are a couple of tried and true methods to stay motivated to workout:

• Train with a friend
• Get a dog to walk
• Set a reach performance goal (marathon, 20 pullups, lose 30 pounds in 3 months, etc.)
• Look at yourself naked in the mirror everyday (thanks Jack for this one)
• Have a health crisis caused by lifestyle problems
• See a friend or family member have a health crisis caused by lifestyle problems
• Surround yourself with fit people and images of fit people
• Surround yourself with fat people and images of fat people

Choose whichever image motivates you better to stay on track

All of these can and have helped people keep on track.  The one I find to be the most effective for me is to keep a training journal.  Having to log your workout forces you to do it, shames you when you skip one, and gives you an added sense of accomplishment when you get to enter in the details post-workout.  I've been using a Google Docs spreadsheet for the last 5 years.  I can share it with people and access it from my mobile device or any computer.  I track Date & Time (sometimes if I do 2 workouts per day or if I need to vary time of day for an event), type of workout (Run, Bike, Swim, Strength, HIIT, Skills/GPP, etc) and log the actual workout.  I count everything that I do that is physically active above my basic life and work requirements.  If you walk somewhere, log it.  If you're on your feet all day for a convention, log it. Not only does this motivate you, it becomes a record of performance that can help tune your training or weight loss plan to prevent burnout and injury.

My Training Log is a Google Docs spreadsheet

If you don't log it, it don't count.