Top 25 Fitness Motivational Quotes

Top 25 Fitness Motivational Quotes

Chris Freytag, Fitness Expert for Prevention Magazine and ACE Board MemberBy Chris Freytag, Fitness Expert for Prevention Magazine & ACE Board Member

I am addicted to motivational words and phrases. I have them on my laptop screen saver and on my iPhone. I wear a necklace that says “Live Life Well”. I have bracelets with coins saying “Believe, Sweat, and Inspire”. I get energy from words. I glance at them, read them, repeat them and they channel my thoughts in a positive way. It’s a great way to keep you motivated with your fitness program. It can be as simple as putting the word or phrase on a post-it note on your computer or bathroom mirror – somewhere you will see it every day.

Here are 25 of my favorite motivational quotes from some famous and not-so-famous folks. I hope you find inspiration in them like I have!


1. Strive for progress, not perfection.
-Unknown

2. You want me to do something… tell me I can’t do it.
-Maya Angelou

3. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
-Wayne Gretzky

4. If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying.
-Unknown

5. You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted.
-Ruth E. Renkl

6. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
-Mahatma Gandhi

7. Motivation will almost always beat mere talent.
-Norman R. Augustine

8. I’d rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate.
-George Burns

9. Energy and persistence conquer all things.
-Benjamin Franklin

10. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

11. No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.
-Aesop

12. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
-Albert Einstein

13. Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
-Lou Holtz

14. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
-Jim Ryan

15. I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
-Michael Jordan

16. Fear is what stops you… courages is what keeps you going.
-Unknown

17. The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race.
-Unknown

18. The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline.
-Steve Smith

19. Just do it.™ -Nike

20. In seeking happiness for others, you find it for yourself.
-Anonymous 

21. The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
-Mark Twain 

22. It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.
-Anonymous 

23. Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.
-Oprah Winfrey 

24. It’s never too late to become what you might have been.
-George Eliot 

25. Clear your mind of can’t.
-Samuel Johnson

tips for staying in shape this summer

Drink water

Water is absolutely essential to staying healthy and hydrated during the warm summer months. If you work out in the heat, drink plenty of water both before and after your workout to get the most out of your exercise routine and avoid the painful side effects of dehydration. Keep in mind that water is also a natural appetite suppressor and assists the body in metabolizing fat deposits, so the more water you drink the easier it will be to lose weight and keep it off.

Dive in

Don’t just drink water, jump in and swim in it! Water workouts are amazingly beneficial, being both cardiovascular and low impact. Swimming works your whole body, and just 30 minutes a day can improve strength, endurance, posture, flexibility, and cardiovascular health. In addition, swimming and other water sports offer the same benefits as running without many of the negatives like muscle and joint strain. And depending on your objectives, swimming can be as easy or as difficult as you like.

Float on

You don’t actually have to get in the water to get a great workout. Kayaking and canoeing are both great ways to flatten your abs while strengthening and toning your entire upper body. To get the most out of your workout, be sure to balance the exertion. Row on both sides of the boat and reverse your direction every so often to work your muscles evenly.

Hit the beach

All types of exercise are improved at the beach. Not only is it more pleasant to walk or run in the surf than on a treadmill, it’s also easier on your body’s joints. If running’s not your thing, take a Frisbee and a friend and enjoy all the benefits of an aerobic workout while having fun at the same time.

Summer’s the perfect time to make a splash with your workout. By exercising in or near the water, you can stay cool, have fun, and get a great bathing suit body all at the same time. But don’t forget the sunscreen!

Don’t Let Food Names Fool You!

By Amy Ahlberg, Rodale.com

If healthy eating, is important to you, watch out for misleading healthy-sounding food names. According to a study published online ahead of print in The Journal of Consumer Research, simply changing the name of a food item can influence its perceived healthfulness to dieters, who seem to rely more heavily on food cues—such as food names—than nondieters. Ambiguous names like “veggie chips,” “flavored water,” or simply calling a dish a “salad” can convince dieters that the item has nutritional value, whereas other names lead to the belief that the item is unhealthful.

The details: These perceptions can have unhealthy effects: According to study author Caglar Irmak, PhD, assistant professor of marketing at the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, the study’s findings show that dieters may actually end up eating more of these not-so-healthy foods. Says Irmak, “One of our key findings is that dieters rate foods with healthy-sounding names [for example, salad] as healthier than identical food items with less-healthy-sounding names [for example, pasta].” Dieters base their food decisions on the name of the food items, instead of the ingredients, says Irmak. So they may eat more calories than what their dieting goals prescribe. “In one of our studies, when a candy was called ‘fruit chews,’ dieters ate significantly more candies than when the candy was called ‘candy chews’.”

What it means: Irmak’s advice is to be vigilant about a food’s actual ingredients. “Dieters need to focus on the ingredients of the food items, rather than names only, as many food items are healthy in name only,” he says. But the good news is that checking the ingredients can erase the misleading effects of the food’s name.”In one of our studies, when we asked dieters about the healthfulness of each ingredient in the food item before they evaluated the overall healthfulness of the item, the effect of the food name vanished,” says Irmak.

 

It’s possible to avoid being seduced by a healthy-sounding food, if you pay attention. Here are some tips for sorting the “health” from the hype:

Salads aren’t always healthy.

Often, dieters skip pizza and burgers and opt for main-course salads, imagining them to be the healthiest foods on the menu. And restaurants perpetuate the belief that their salads are nutritious, low-calorie options, even though many salads at chain restaurants can hover around (or top) 1,000 calories, thanks to gigantic portion sizes, fatty and/or fried toppings, and creamy dressings. These super-size salads can also contain almost a day’s worth of sodium, so buyer beware. Fast fixes include having a half portion, if it’s on the menu, or just packing up half of your order to take home.

All bottled waters aren’t the same.

Some flavored waters or vitamin-enhanced waters can contain up to 200 calories per bottle. Sucking down just one of these a day could create a 20-pound weight gain in a year’s time. A smarter substitution? Calorie-free flavored waters without added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Look for brands that contain just a hint of natural flavoring, or sip on naturally flavored seltzer water for hydration minus the additives.

Fruit-flavored snacks aren’t fruit.

Gummy fruit treats, fruit roll-ups, fruit bars and other items with fruit on the label may contain some juice or fruit flavoring, but often don’t actually contain fruit. But they can contain high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, and other unhealthy ingredients. A superior swap is pretty obvious—go for fresh fruit. Another portable option? Chewy dried fruit (remember to check the label for added sugar and calories). Both offer up the fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients missing from fruit-flavored snacks.

Veggie chips are still, well, chips.

While baked veggie chips might seem better for you than traditional chips, they can still contain up to 8 grams of fat per one-ounce serving—almost as much as a small bag of potato chips. Having actual cut-up veggies, even with a small amount of dip, is a better way to satisfy your craving for crunch. The fat in the dip even helps with the absorption of key nutrients in the vegetables.

Correct time to drink water…

Correct time to drink water…very important.  From a Cardiac Specialist!

Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body:

2 glasses of water upon waking up helps activate the internal organs

1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal helps digestion

1 glass of water before taking a bath helps lower blood pressure and flush out toxins

1 glass of water before going to bed help avoid stroke or heart attack; also helps prevent night time leg cramps.  Your muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp so keep hydrating!

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