This next guest post, comes from another good friend of mine. Teri, from a Foodie Stays Fit! I love this girl + her blog + her boxer, Maizey! :) She always has such a good mix of posting styles on her blog, which is one reason I love it so much. Teri actually lives in NC about 1hr away where I used to live in Charlotte. We realized after I lived in Colorado that we were only living 1hr away from each other for an entire year! We didn’t know one another at the time, but so wish we could turn back time a little. I know if we lived in the same city, or even nearby, we would be inseparable. Teri is an amazing person + friend, and I feel lucky just knowing her! Thanks for your help girlie. I truly appreciate it.

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Hi peeps! I’m so excited to do a guest post for one of my favorite blends while she takes care of her man Chris. Isn’t Ashley the greatest? And aren’t her pictures the absolute best? Yes and yes. My name is Teri and my blog is A Foodie Stays Fit. Obviously, I love fitness and being active (and food Ü). But, even as a fitness lover, sometimes I don’t really feel like exercising. So, how do I stay motivated and get out the door when I’d rather stay on the couch with a pint of Ciao Bello Gelato going through my Google Reader and watching reruns of Friends? Here’s what’s worked for me in the past.

5 Tips for Getting your Unmotivated Butt in (Workout) Gear

1. The obvious: make plans with someone else to work out. I always have problems working out on Mondays because I don’t do it in the AM for various reasons and after work I’m tempted to skip it. So, today, I emailed one of my gym buddies and asked if she wanted to go to a 5:30 PM class with me. If I invite someone and make her commit, I know I won’t ditch.

2. Drop your gym clothes at the gym ahead of time. Once (it was a Monday of course), I knew I’d be tempted to go home after work instead of hitting the gym. So, over lunch I dropped my workout bag with clothes, shoes, ipod, etc. at the gym. This committed me for a couple reasons. (1) They cut the locks off of lockers left overnight and I didn’t want my stuff sitting there and (2) I put my blowdryer in there even though I don’t get ready at the gym after a workout; I knew I’d need it for the next morning so I had to go get it unless I wanted to rock wet hair going into the office. Once I was at the gym, I felt stupid just walking back out so I stayed and got my sweat on.

3. Post your intentions on Twitter. Or Facebook. Or email me. Or email someone. Anyone. Tell them that you don’t feel like going out for a run but that you are going to. And then give them permission to pester you to make sure you followed through with your workout plans.

4. Just put your clothes on. Your workout clothes that is. Hopefully you already had something on. ;) Sometimes just putting on your workout clothes will put you in the mood to workout. If not, just tell yourself you’ll only do 5, 10, 15 minutes of whatever. Usually you’ll get in the groove and do more. And if not, hey, at least you got something in. You know what else helps? Having workout clothes that you like. I love my running skirt and get excited to wear it to workout.

5. Assess why you aren’t motivated. Are you burned out from overtraining? Do you feel sick, in pain from a tweaked muscle, or have extremely sore muscles? If it’s not just plain lack of motivation/laziness that’s plaguing you, you might be better taking a day off from working out. And that’s OK. But maybe don’t eat the whole pint of gelato. :)

Thanks Teri!!

When I was working a 8-5 desk job, my best motivator was similar to Teri’s #2. I would bring my workout clothes with me to work and put them under my desk. It honestly helped me get through the day! I couldn’t wait to get outside and go for a run. If I would wait until I got home, it was very likely that the couch would suck me in!

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And now a little foodie action for you ;)