My upcoming Na Pali kayaking trip will keep me motivated to pay more attention to my upper body training for the next few weeks.

A few weeks ago in the middle of a particularly grueling training sessions, one of my clients looked an me and said, “ So this never really ends, right? I’m going to have to workout for the rest of my life if I want to be healthy.” Bluntly, yes. You cannot just do a program or go on a diet for a few weeks or even months and hope that will permanently take care that whole health and wellness thing. However, it is much less daunting if you don’t take such a long view and instead break the rest of your life into more manageable pieces, like the next few months, weeks, or even days.

Personally, I run in races to keep my training interesting. I finished my first marathon a few weeks ago, and while I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that it was the most amazing experience ever, it certainly kept me motivated to train in the six months leading up to the race. I’m still planning to run, but now I’m going to stick to shorter distances and work on my speed to change things up a little

Other people I know don’t like the racing scene so much, but they keep themselves motivated to exercise by planning trips hunt, hike, rock climb, kayak, ski, or go for day hikes. Some people just want to look their best for an event they have to attend in a few months; purely superficial reasons can be a great short term motivator too.

Just make sure that after you reach your goal, complete your race, or return from your trip that you celebrate your success and set a new goal. Health and fitness are a lifelong commitment, but that doesn’t mean it has to be monotonous!