It was Sunday morning, and I was cozy in bed with my sweet Boston Terrier next to me. Sundays are usually when Mala (my dog) and I go on our long hike. I set my alarm to wake up later than usual, and hit the snooze button – a few times. I rolled over, and my dog snored in my ear. Until that woke me up… I could have stayed in bed all day.

I’m sure you know the feeling.

DESIRES are good… until they aren’t.

Despite my resistance, I wanted to stay motivated. Being in nature is one of my most sacred activities. It keeps me connected to source, and I release any negative thoughts.

My mind kept saying “Sleep in. Stay in bed.” My body was saying “Get out, I need to move. Chop chop sister.” Guess who won – my body.

RESULTS are better, always.

How did I do it? I began to focus on the results. How much fun it is. How much my dog LOVES our time together in nature. How I feel connected. The feeling after taking the harder trail, with the sun on my body, laughing at my dog who’s running circles around me she is so ecstatic.

Hanging out on that channel is way better.

WHEN Crankypants shows up.

We got up and hit the trails. As our hike began my mind was like, “I don’t wanna.” Like a teenager. “Why? Really? Can’t you do the shorter one? You’ll be done so much faster.”

REALLY? I thought I was done with this silliness. So, I did it anyway. I brought that crankypants along, and as we were climbing the rocks she got quiet, because the challenge took all of my attention.

Note to self: stay active, focused and have a challenge that gets you there. And make sure you enjoy it so crankypants goes away.

MOTIVATION is personal.

Instead of being motivated to “fit in”, complaining with everyone else “I don’t have time, only if those 5 lbs were gone or (fill in the blank).”

Keep your mind set on the feeling you get, and RESULTS.

Be more self-focused, self-nurturing and less self-destructive.

When it comes to getting motivated to get on your yoga mat, take that zumba class, or hike, use this list to get you on track again.

M-O-T-I-V-A-T-I-O-N starts here:

1. Don’t ignore your body and how it feels. It will want you to hibernate around winter time, so the toughest part is getting started.
2. If your mind is being a crankypants teenager, put her in her place. Take the focus off that and onto the results. The feeling you get from it.
3. Make sure it's something you love to do. If it’s not, find something else… like a hip-hop class, boxing or start a dog walking business on the side. Listen to any motivational music or talks, so you can get your energy boost x2.
4. Take out your calendar, set up time every day to do something active. HINT: It doesn’t have to be a huge chunk of time. I have short podcasts here or get my DVD that has a 10 min chair yoga sequence.
5. Dedicate it to someone who you love. Someone who is not longer alive. I know this may seem depressing, but it works. My mother passed when I was 18. Just looking at her picture reminds me time is precious. So I get my booty in gear.

Also, remember: if you have kids or are parenting in some other way, you’re setting an example. Someone looks up to you and learns from you, so ask yourself “What are you teaching those around you?”

LEAD by example.

Hope this gave you some ideas on how to stay motivated to get your yoga on, or whatever your exercise choice is. If anything, know that you want to live in the results. After a while, it’ll become magnetic for you.

I could say get an accountability buddy, but everyone says that, and still those who don’t probably… won’t. Try my tips before you nix them, and let the crankypants win.