My Motivation...or lack thereof

So, I started this blog to help motivate others, and now I feel like I've misplaced my own motivation. I've had a couple weeks I'm not proud of. My norm has been to exercise at least 30-60 minutes 6-7 days a week. I don't hold myself to a strict exercise schedule. I am not a schedule girl when it comes to workouts. If I feel obligated to do it, it's likely I will feel too stressed & not do it. I like to do what I feel like at the time. Running, boxing, yoga, boot camp or speed walking are some of my go-to workouts. I also have some Jillian Michaels & Bob Harper DVDs because I am a single parent & getting to the gym or out for a run is not always possible. The last two weeks, I've only managed to exercise 3-4 times per week. Not only does this NOT get me closer to my goal, but it actually costs me money. Let me explain...

A year or so ago, a couple co-workers & I started a workout bet. We decided to motivate each other by working out 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. If we did not do that, we would owe the other 2 people $3 for each workout that we did not do. So, if I only did 3 workouts, I had to pay out $6. That is not a huge amount, but to me, money wasn't the real motivator. I did not want to admit to anyone that I could not get those workouts done. I guess it's kind of a pride thing. Also, the two people that I had the bet with were pretty fit already. I felt like I had to do the workouts because I had the most to gain...or lose...depending on how you look at it. :)

We have continued this bet for at least a year. None of us remembers exactly when we started it. One person dropped out, so currently, it's just me & one other person. The two of us recently decided to raise the stakes a bit. Instead of the previous 30 minutes per workout, we now do 45. I don't want to blame my current lack of motivation on our new bet. I think our bet is a fantastic idea & super motivation. All of my classes I attend are 60 minutes. When I run, I do 30 minutes, easy. Adding another 15 should be no big deal, right??? Well, I've decided maybe it goes back to what I said earlier about not being a schedule girl.

"If I feel obligated to do it, it's likely I will feel too stressed & not do it."

I struggled with motivation last week, and now owe him $3. Grrrrr!!!! I have not completed my workouts this week yet, but I will. The problem is, my typical 6-7 workouts per week ended up as only 3 last week & will be 4 this week. I am determined to get back on track next week. DETERMINED enough to tell you to expect a post about it. :-)

What do you do for motivation? I know that is a struggle for so many people. We are so busy with work, life, kids, new blogs (lol), etc. How do you make the time to keep adding that daily dose of exercise to the mix?