i try to do my workouts in 10 minute intervals. I focus 10 minutes at a time. I try to make it through those first 10 minutes. I did it! Then move on to the next 10 minutes. 30 minutes of intense and then 10 minutes of moderate leading to 5 minute cool down. Focus 10 minutes at a time. It makes the BIG 45 Minutes seem much smaller if you cut it into small portions.

I just think of looking great on my clothes, or out of them

I always say..."one more rep!", "10 more minutes on the cardio machine" I have to keep on pushing myself! Or I just think of my self in a bikini then I push myself extra hard.

Well it's the treadmill I'm more likely to get bored with and not continue so I listen to music and change up what I listen to so I don't feel bored. Thinking of how my clothes will fit helps too.

With a vacation coming up soon I've just been doing a countdown in my head..."11 days until people will see you in a bikini, suck it up!!"

My inner coach usually says "stop looking at the time indicator!" I will search my mp3 for the best motivating song and sing along in my head -- my treadmill workouts are usually @ 6:30am and I don't think the rest of my family wants to be awakened to my bad karaoke. Or I will get involved in whatever news story is being reported on the morning news. With the captioning on I get all the headlines I need before breakfast.

bikini! bikini! bikini!

"I started this I can finish it."

I figure if I started why waste my effort with half the job done.

Currently I'm pushing myself to do more because I have plans to go to the beach....this weekend! Yikes!

This is a different question than "what do you do when you hit a wall?"?

when I'm running I just tell myself to suck it up!!

When I am really tired, sometimes I get angry with myself & internally yell at myself.. you know how.. like when you are watching a movie, and there is some riduculously mean trainer, yelling at someone to push it, that's me in my head... I can get really mean. Probably not good, but I finish!

I usually work out in the early morning. It helps to say to myself, "Did you get up this morning just to quit half way through?". I also like a quote I heard from Jillian Michaels, "You can do anything for one minute." That helps too.

I think it's important to push yourself and also to be in tune enough with your body to know when to stop or do something else. I only lasted for 10 minutes in my spin class this morning because of stomach pains, so I switched and did 60 min on the elliptical. I just knew my body would do better this morning on the elliptical than the bike. I was a bit tempted to just walk away after spin, but I knew I'd be disappointed in myself. Now I feel great!

at the moment its wedding season and i have 3 weddings to go to all from his work side so i wanna look my best in front of all his friends and g/friends!! and also bikini season.. i have my dress in front of me at the moment so when i wanna stop i just look at it and think of me in it~!

When I am running I like to say "Just keep swimming...." from Finding Nemo, or "Just one more mile" OR "You've done 5 miles before, it wasn't hard". All of it works!

I think "You're almost done." And "Spring is here." and "I'm going to look amazing in my wedding dress."

I dont really tell myself anything. I picture what I will look like in my jeans!!!

Running Bunny, I LOVE your "Just keep swimming" That's so great and catchy, I might have to use that!
Usually I just try to think good things, Come On, you've done great so far, just a bit more, that sort of thing. Or I use outside encouragement knowing that my boyfriend or trainer will ask how long I did and if it's weak, they'll want to know why I wussed out. So that keeps me on!

The absolute first thing that pops into my head is....MADONNA. And it works like a DREAM.

I always start thinking about how nice it will be to wear clothes that I love and look hot!! I just say to myself- It will all be worth it in the end- and it always is.

I ask myself if its getting harder and if its not, then I say that there is no reason I can't keep going. Because if my muscles are fatiguing or I can't breathe as well, then I might let myself slow down, but if nothing is getting harder, then I have to push myself to keep going.

Kanye West's "Stronger" usually pops into my head -- If I'm not actually listening to it that is. LOL

"Th-th-that that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger..."

I look at how much time I have left, and say "Ha! You can do ANYTHING for __ minutes!" I say it over and over again as the clock ticks down.

I usually think about how the longer I go, the less my legs will jiggle.. or especially when running on a treadmill, I take it .1 miles at a time. If I'm at 2.7 miles, I say to myself, "come on, get to 2.8, 2.9" and so on

I like to say "get sexy get sexy get sexy!" or I think about how good I will feel afterwards and I have a mirror in the room where I work out so I like to watch myself working out and see how my body is looking and think about how it could look better if I just keep going!

lol. i'm still looking for that magical word that will make me hit the gym when i don't want to. i still haven't found it. can anybody offer any ideas?

I ask myself: What else do you have to do right now? If I'm there, I might as well finish. Also when I'm running, I remember the immortal words of my friend Monica: "Running is a dance party, and it's easier at the end." Weird, I know, but I like to listen to good music.

I tell myself, "you've done this before. Stop now, and you're getting weaker. You really need to do more, so at least do this."
I also think about the next time I'll be looking at my butt in the mirror- I want to be able to think, "I'm doing all I can"

This Might sound crazy...and a little weird. But, when I am on the treadmill I think that I am an a do or die situation, that if I do not keep running to finish that second mile, or the last 5 mins that someone close to me might die, and that I HAVE to keep going...haha well it works!!

I hear my husband saying "Suck it up Buttercup!!" That always helps me out when I want to quit!

So, this is nerdy, but I like to listen to This American Life podcasts when I'm doing cardio at the gym. When it gets hard, I tell myself I only have to work out till the end of the story that's on. Some of the stories are only a few minutes long, and then I'm like, "Ah, that was nothing! I can keep going through another one." And some are 20+ minutes long, but I'm so engrossed that I stop looking at the time.

Lately when I'm running uphill outside I've heard an inner voice saying "float! float! float!" with every step. I have no idea where that came from, but it totally works.

I have a mini drill sargeant in my head, and I'm usually really mean to myself. HAHAHA. What works for me is I think of Demi Moore in GI Jane and I say to myself "She didn't quit!", and that pushes me harder. I watch the movie once every few months to renew my motivation.

For some reason, I go through my playlist until I get to 'Stronger' by Kanye West. Apart from being incredibly motivational to me, making me feel like a lean mean exercise machine (haha), I always remember how Katie Holmes said listening to this song on repeat was what got her through running a marathon. That makes me think that my exercise program is nothing even close to a marathon and somehow that makes it all feel easier. I know it sounds really weird! I have no idea why that quote is stuck in my mind...

I just say: Just do it and get it over with. Or: You'll feel so good afterwards!

The right music gets me through. JT and Madonna's new song "4 Minutes" is PERFECT to help push you through your last four minutes of cardio.. no joke.

Madonna pops into my head as well, I tell myself if she can do it at nearly 50 I can or what would I be doing if I wasn't exercising right now? Probably eating junk food, that usually does the trick.

omg gonezaggygirl, i totally agree. Right now, if I'm starting to feel like quitting or that I can't do it, that one line in "4 Minutes" gets me going: "Keep it up, Keep it up, don't be a pri-Madonna!" I love it!

I break up my workout into 10 minute segments and each time I finish one, I tell myself "One down, x more to go". When I feel like I just can't go on, I remember the first time my husband and I split wood together...he said "Swing it like you got a pair!". So now when I feel my motivation flagging, I move it "like I've got a pair", lol.

When its hard I repeat to myself: 'Better. Faster. Stronger.' It always pushes me through.

I have a few... I like to be quite tough on myself during workouts so I'll keep repeating "pain is temporary but pride is forever" and "pain is just weakness leaving the body". I'll also go through this mantra of 'there are two types of people in this world: those who say "I can't" and those who say "I will never accept defeat". Just something silly I made up but it works!

Also, one of my favourite running shirts is a plain white Nike one with 'Athlete' written across it in black- I'm always like "Earn that shirt!" to myself!

''come on,come on, just 5 more minutes''. when I'm working out by myself I think about my personal trainer ''push,push!!'' haha

I read that a lot of people are really into Kanye West's "Stronger" and I won't like, I'm a bit more of a fan of the original Daft Punk version myself, but Kanye also has a "Workout Plan" song that is really fun (and sometimes funny) and the best is that Juelz Santana did a remix of it! Its kind of like reverse psychology because it talks mocks the people that are out their ordering a diet soda with their Triple Big Mac super-sized meals. It's the best motivation ever!

I always have to have a great playlist to keep me going, but what really helps is when I'm on any cardio machine, I open up a fitness magazine to a page with a super-fit model in a bikini and I tell myself if I want to look like that,I'll keep going!