How to Think Like a Fit Person

Why: Obviously, when you like something, you do it more and with more gusto, including exercise, be it cardio belly dancing or karate. You also free yourself from the drag on your willpower that comes from doing something you hate, explains Segar. You don't have to motivate yourself to wake up at 6 a.m., get yourself to the gym and pound away on the treadmill while scowling at yourself in the mirror. If you're doing something you think is fun (or doing it with fun people), you just have to motivate yourself to wake up at 6 a.m., and the rest will take care of itself. "Getting an immediate positive reward from exercise, like enjoyment or revitalization, is among the top predictors of sticking with it over the long term," Segar says. Consider this permission to be an exercise hedonist.