Hi guys,

You’d think I don’t belong here. You’re right, I don’t. I am the laziest person on the face of this universe. Don’t believe me? Well here are some examples of my despicable behavior. I am a champion when it comes to inventing excuses that save me from exercising. I get my daily dose of sunshine by sitting at a desk near a window and, if you will, the light emitted by my laptop as I surf the internet. And if I’m presented with a choice between stairs and an elevator, well I think you can guess what I pick every single time.

So what exactly am I doing here? Like every other person who is a part of the Fitternity family, I covet a thigh gap, toned limbs, abs, muscles, a tight butt, and more importantly, a healthy exterior and interior. But simply wanting these things isn’t enough to motivate me to exercise. I mean, honestly, Delhi bahut door lagta hai aur voh vada pav bohut paas main. And so, here I am, longing for that toned body, engaging in occasional bursts of enthusiastic diet and exercise, and ultimately failing to get fit and stay fit. Hmph!

Is this the end of the road for me? Am I doomed to stay lazy (Once a lazy bum, always a lazy bum) and unfit forever? Not at all! I stumbled across some great ways to motivate myself to exercise (and they work, I swear!) I thought I’d share them with you. Once you’ve succeeded in pulling yourself off the couch, away from that TV, and to the gym/wherever you want to exercise, you’ve practically won half the battle against calories and fat! So what are you waiting for? Stop reading this and start achieving it!

Find a workout buddy

Recently, I’ve discovered that there’s nothing more motivating than someone who is just as determined to lose the pounds as you are. Your workout buddy will encourage you as you encourage them to keep exercising even when you’re tired. Plus, having a friend sweating buckets beside you is bound to make exercising all the more entertaining. If you have someone depending on you for companionship or a ride, you’re bound to feel obligated to stick to your fitness regimen. Who knows? Maybe exercising with a friend might even be… enjoyable (shocking, I know!)

Find a fun fitness fix

There is no way you’re going to stick to a fitness routine unless you enjoy it, especially if you are as lazy as I am. So here’s a simple solution to that — do something fun! If you find working out at the gym or going for a walk/run too boring, why don’t you join a great zumba or kickboxing class? Why not try your hand at tennis, dancing, or swimming? Mumbai is a city full of over a hundred ways to stay fit. All you have to do is find one that you love. After that, you won’t have any trouble motivating yourself to exercise.

Set a goal to work towards

Is it almost swimsuit season or do you have a wedding marked on your calendar that you want to look fantastic for? Setting a goal to work towards is the best kind of motivation. Continually remind yourself of your goal, especially at times when you’re feeling extra lazy. I personally like to put motivational pictures of the kind of body I want to attain on my bathroom mirror. This way, I’m able to see where I am right now and where I want to be.

Reward yourself

Weight loss is a slow and frustrating process. I’ve started and stopped so many fitness regiments because I lost the will to stick to it somewhere in between. If I don’t see instant progress, I tend to think all my effort is in vain and so, I might as well go back to my usual, lazy habits. STOP YOURSELF RIGHT THERE! Don’t give up. Although the biggest and best reward of weight loss will take time to reveal itself, there’s no harm in giving yourself little rewards every once in a while to stay motivated. Now I’m not saying you should reward yourself with a cupcake every time you exercise. That would negate all your hard work. I go with episodes of a highly addictive TV shows. There’s nothing more motivating than “one more push up and you can watch that episode of Homeland”.

Buy yourself a pair of tester jeans

Do you have a pair of jeans you want to fit into? If you try them on once in a while, you’ll be reminded of how much weight you need to lose to fit into them. This can serve as another type of goal. As you make progress and the jeans start to get less and less obnoxiously tight for you, you’ll feel more motivated than ever! Trust me. It works a lot better than staring at the digits on a weighing scale, praying for them to lower than last week’s numbers.

Good luck!

Yours sincerely,

A Lazy Bum

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