Today I’ve been thinking about what keeps people striving to be healthy. So many of the most fun, pleasurable things in life do not in any way, shape or form fit into the “good for you” category. Eating that entire pint of chocolate Blue Bell ice cream? Let’s just say your body’s not thanking you for that afterwards (honesty box: been there, done that!). One (or two, or three or four) too many drinks during a night out with friends? Taking an organic chemistry exam would probably make your head hurt less.
So why do we try to make as many healthy choices as we can? Boiling this question down to its simplest nature means asking what motivates us.
Motivation: the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.
Motivation. Everyone’s got theirs. Lately, I’ve been turning to others for mine. [Psych majors, feel free to insert intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation lesson here]. In any case, here are the websites, magazines and blogs that help inspire me to be my healthiest self!
BodyRock.tv
This fitness-focused website is a free smorgasbord of diet and exercise information. They post new workouts each day of the week and have nutrition challenges that you can take part in.
Testimonials from users from around the world are also a big part of their motivational factor, as is the fact that you can do most of their workouts at home, using your own body weight for resistance.
SHAPE Magazine
Open this month’s edition of SHAPE and you’ll hit the healthy living jackpot. It’s one of my favorites because it goes beyond diet and exercise and includes articles on things like beauty, travel, career, sex, fashion and mental health. It often cites real studies that also appear in peer-reviewed journals, so I know their tips are evidence-based.
Carrots ‘N’ Cake
Tina lives in Boston, MA and her blog is dedicated to sharing her life with readers. As a runner, she focuses on creating meals that pack the biggest nutritional punch and will sustain her through her workouts. I love reading about her travels, workouts and delicious cooking and baking concoctions because her posts are so real. When she craves a pumpkin-spice latte, she drinks one and isn’t above telling readers that she did. It’s a great reminder that you don’t have to restrict yourself to a specific diet or workout schedule to be healthy.
Sometimes a new workout is what it takes to get motivated; other times, reading about someone’s transformation from unhappy couch potato to energetic health-nut is what I need to be inspired.
What’s your motivation?