Inspiration to Step It Up!

It's always helpful to have a goal in mind as a means to gain motivation for any sort of physical activity or fitness regimen.  Clearly, the upcoming Rock n' Roll Half Marathon in October is my motivation to hit the track four days a week.  Regardless of my finishing time, I will not be the girl who doesn't finish.  Absolutely not.  No way, Jose!  My ass is running 13.1 miles in 47 days!

And speaking of asses, check out this one...

Holy hotness and motivation--I want that ass!

The photo is from the August issue of Women's Health Magazine.  I saw it a few days ago and was immediately inspired to step up my workouts in order to one day (hopefully sooner than later) look like that.  With all of the training I have been doing, I have been literally running myself into the ground.  I started feeling sickish last week--on the morning of my birthday of all days-- but with the help of extra doses of vitamin C and Lysine, I managed to fight off a cold and what felt like the beginnings of an ear infection.  I'm wearing myself out with so much (maybe too much?) running, and am left with little energy to get in any cross training or strength training days.  I'm using my rest/XT days as rest days only.  Not good.  The nice definition in my legs that I have become so proud of has slowly started to dwindle in the last week or so.  And more importantly than the aesthetics of it, I know that I need to strengthen my legs in order to make them strong enough to carry me across that finish line.

Knowing that I was going to have to make some big changes this week to address said leg and energy issues, this photo couldn't have come at a better time.  I believe everything happens for a reason, and that we are given what we need when we need it.  In this case, what I needed was a sexy photo in a magazine that has been lying on my night stand for a month because I'm the queen of procrastination.  I tore out the page, and the picture is currently hanging from my photo board in my room directly across from my bed, as well as set to the lock screen on my phone.  I opted not to hang it next to my Jennifer Aniston photo on the snack cupboard given that I am currently living with my sister and her two children.  It's easier to explain that her perfectly beautiful body reminds me to grab for either a) healthy snacks, or b) nothing at all.  I imagine it would be more difficult to explain to my 4 year old niece why there is a picture of a butt in our kitchen.  Anyway, I have the picture in two places that I will see it constantly throughout the day to remind myself to do (or not do) whatever it is that will help me accomplish that goal.

So, with that goal in mind, I'm off to do some leg and tushy toning.  I'll be combining my favorite workout from my trainer, appropriately called "The Hot Mess" (a pyramid of get ups, back lunges, squats, burpees, and v-crunches), with this Lean Legs, Tight Tush workout from Women's Health Magazine.

What are some of your motivational techniques and inspirational guides?  Share them with us in our comments section!

Happy Tushy Tuesday!