You started off strong, but lately you’re finding it hard to stick to that new diet or exercise program – so what gives? After that initial excitement and determination wears off, it’s hard for many women to continue exercising regularly, eating healthy, or both because things start to get in the way and excuses pile up, soon that fatty dessert becomes too enticing to resist.

You know you’ve got to get back on that exercise horse, because that’s what you do when you fall off, and girl—you have fallen way off. Here are a few ideas to get you up and moving and back on the healthy eating trail again.

Find a diet/exercise partner.
It’s always easier to do things with a friend. When it comes to dieting and working out, you won’t feel like you’re in it alone. The two of you can go out to eat healthy foods together and not feel bad about depriving yourself. You’ll be able to give support to one another and you can motivate each other to exercise on a regular schedule. Those days when you are having trouble getting going, your exercise partner will be there to challenge you on. You and your partner might enjoy shopping for smaller clothes together as a nice reward for all of the hard work.

Keep a positive attitude.
Daily affirmations are a positive way to start off your day. Positive words of praise and gratitude play a huge role in keeping you motivated to stay on track. Reward yourself for staying on your diet, especially if you’ve just fought off an overwhelming urge to eat fatty foods and opted for the turkey pita instead. Positive attitudes work for exercise as too. After your workouts concentrate on how good you feel for having completed your goals and how great your body feels afterwards. Savor that wonderful feeling of accomplishment and call it up everyday about an hour before it’s time to hit the gym or walking trail.

Mix it up to keep it interesting.
Vary your workouts between cardio and strength training every other day. This will give you something different to look forward to. On your cardio days, choose activities that are fun and that use different muscle groups and skills. There are so many fun things to choose from like walking, jogging, skating, dancing, swimming, playing golf, tennis, volleyball, soccer or softball.

If there are exercises that you absolutely hate to do, don’t do them. Choose another exercise that works the same muscle group or produces the same cardiovascular output. Make exercise fun so you won’t dread working out and you’ll be more likely to stick with your program. Vary your diet just as you do your fitness routine. If you’re always eating the same things you will no doubt get sick of them. Still eat healthy, but try new and different foods on a regular basis.

Look in the mirror not at the scale.
Don’t always rely on that number on the scale. Buy yourself a full-length mirror and check yourself out a little bit. What do you see? Can you tell a difference in the way that you look since you started your diet and fitness program? Muscle is smaller than fat, you can lose fat and build muscle and not see much difference on the scale, but when you look in the mirror you can see the results of beautiful strong muscles strengthened and toned.

Music tames the savage beast.
Anything that distracts the brain from the pain and discomfort that you feel during exercise can be helpful to get you through a workout. Listening to music can be extremely helpful. Our bodies naturally move to music so listening to upbeat music while you exercise actually helps you perform better. Music makes the time go by much faster because you can focus your mind on listening to particular songs and keep it from concentrating on being hot and tired. Load up your iPod with songs that you like, charge it up and take it with you on your walks, jogs or to the gym. It can be your little companion to keep you motivated.

Your health is important.
Most people want to look good, and there’s nothing wrong with that. One of the greatest benefits of healthy eating and exercise is the wonderful way that you look from the extra effort. But keep in mind that working out and eating right increases your life expectancy and improves your quality of life This alone should give you the motivation to start your diet and get your body moving in an exercise program that works for you.

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Making the decision to lose weight is not an easy one. Sure most of us know when we need to do something about our weight, but when it comes to having to change the way we eat, it’s a different story altogether—especially if we have to deprive ourselves of our favorite foods. Many times, this is the problem with staying true to a diet. Not being able to eat the foods that we enjoy can cause our motivation to drop.

If you’ve experienced this sort of waning in your motivation to diet then you need to find some healthy food recipes that incorporate your favorite foods. If you like French fries, try sweet potato fries—baked in the oven. If you miss milk shakes, try a low-fat fruit smoothie, instead. There are so many good foods to choose from, there is no reason that you have to do without.

Food is not the problem. Food is the answer to losing weight and staying healthy. That’s why we need to find healthy food recipes to cook for our families and ourselves. Cooking foods that the whole family will enjoy will make it much easier to keep your diet on track and keep your motivation soaring. And motivation plays a large part in a successful diet plan.

It takes inspiration and a desire to begin dieting, but it requires a commitment and motivation to keep you dedicated to a diet. That’s why I offer articles and tips on inspiration, motivation, women’s fitness, exercise, journaling and diet. When you become a member of Fitness4Her.com, you’ll have easy access to healthy food recipes under my Healthy Cooking category.

If you’ve been searching for healthy recipes for yourself or a whole crowd, you’ll find nearly 100 mouth-watering entrees to choose from. Learn to be a sneaky cook by substituting turkey sausage for pork or canned pumpkin in place of oil and egg yolks in cakes and muffins. You’ll find these tips and more at Fitness4Her.com.

For most of us, there doesn’t seem time enough in the day to prepare healthy food, even though we know that what we eat is the secret to losing weight. Listen, I know what it’s like to be pressed for time. A personal trainer, fitness model, wife and mother of three boys, I stay very busy, too. That’s why I rummaged through my secret stash of healthy food recipes that you can prepare in minutes. Many of my recipes take about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Remember, to keep your diet on track you need to eat foods that are healthy and nutritious. But you must watch your portion size as well. In many of the healthy recipes that you’ll find at Fitness4Her.com, I’ve included suggestions on portion size to make it easy for you to add this menu item to your diet. Fitness4Her.com—it is the go-to-place for free healthy food recipes.   Here are just a few.

Aye María! Black Bean Quesadilla
Extreme Oatmeal
Smoked Trout or Salmon with Dill Sauce
Monster Mashed Cauliflower
Easy, but not Greasy, Muscle Building Meatloaf
Sweet and Simple Snapper
Super Food Scrambled Eggs A Favorite From Breakfast at Karens
Smoky Turkey Chili

Beginning a fitness program take guts. It also requires inspiration and determination. Many women begin an exercise and diet program full of guts, inspiration and determination; but somewhere between day number two and day number 60, the motivation ceases to exist. Sadly, once the motivation is lost, all the guts, inspiration and determination in the world don’t seem enough to get you back into the groove.

Follow these 10 helpful tips to keep you motivated for the 90-day challenge to Empower Beauty.

1. Prioritize your goals. Long term goal: up to 12 months for fitness, medium range goal should be at a 3 month marker and short term goal could be at 2 weeks. Post these somewhere that you will see them every day.
2. Confide your fitness goals to three positive minded people. This is not a time for nay-sayers so you want to announce your goals to people who believe in success.
3. Find a partner or friend to exercise with. If none of your friends are game, then hire a personal trainer or try to befriend someone at the gym. Having someone to work out with makes it much more enjoyable and less boring.
4. Plan your meals ahead of time. Nothing throws off a diet more than not having easily accessible healthy foods to eat. Deny temptation by replacing sugar laden and fatty foods with healthy whole foods that are deliciously appetizing.
5. Create a journal to keep account of what you eat and drink each day. Be sure to record all of your physical activities too. Charting your progress helps to keep you motivated to keep improving.
6. Remember that everyone is unique and realize that it may take you longer to lose weight than someone else. Don’t let that discourage you from working towards your goal.
7. Start each day with a positive affirmation. Concentrate on what you are rather than what you are not.
8. Reward yourself for your achievements. A new blouse or new jeans can really make you feel special about the weight you have already lost, and will help to keep you motivated to continue your fitness regimen.
9. Make healthy eating a family affair. Enlist family members to help in food preparation and swap fatty, calorie laden foods with healthier choices.
10. Mix up your exercise routine. Pick 3 days a week to participate in Fun activities. Swimming, bike riding, skating, running or even walking are all fun ways to get aerobic exercise.

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When you need a little motivation for your fitness routine, you need look no further than your newsstand. Lining the walls of any bookstore, or magazine rack are plenty of selections that specialize in ways to get fit. The covers boast buff bodies that attract the reader to buy.

I enjoy looking through the magazines and reading others stories of success. Just flipping through the pages and admiring the toned torsos of these amazing athletes, let’s me know that if they can do it, then I can too.

Isn’t that what motivation is all about? I mean we know we have spectacular skills and abilities, sometimes all it takes is a little nudge to get us going. The difference in the way we feel when we take control over our lives is astounding and certainly worth nurturing. By this, I mean that we need to make sure we keep feeling this way.

That’s the feeling of confidence. We become confident in our ability to exercise control over our lives and that’s a good thing. Fitness isn’t just a phase but an important part of our everyday life. Just knowing that you are doing something to ward off illness and disease is enough to empower you.

Keeping to a fitness routine can sometimes be challenging. Daily woes and responsibilities spring up and threaten to deprive us of our special time for ourselves. It is important that you not let anything stand in your way, unless it is an emergency. Treat your workout time as importantly as you do your other duties.

The reward is ten-fold. Spending at least 30 minutes a day engaged in exercise will add numerous benefits to your body, mind and spirit. Just thinking about how good you will feel after your workout should be enough motivation for you to get going. The results of your dedication will be felt for years to come.

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I often hear people say, I need to workout, but I just can’t get motivated. Even seasoned athletes experience highs and lows occasionally before getting started.

There are so many ways to motivate yourself to exercise, and I want to share some ideas that have helped me. Sure I’ve had days when I’ve struggled with exercise. Just like everyone else, there are days when I’m too tired, or have too many things scheduled to find time to exercise. With three boys, I have a plate full of responsibilities and everything seems to require top priority. But my workout is my time for myself, so I have a secret stash of motivational jolts that keep me on the fitness trail.

1. Remind yourself how good you feel after your workout. I always feel on top of the world after a good workout. It’s a natural high. Allowing myself to dwell on those thoughts help to motivate me to get going.

2. This is your special time for yourself. While many women make time to take care of others (kids, husband, other family, co-workers, boss), they often neglect taking time out for themselves. Instead, make your “you” time a priority, and don’t break that exercise appointment.

3. Think about the calories you will burn. If you count calories, you know that the more you exercise, the more calories you burn.

4. Exercise should be fun. If it isn’t, choose an activity that you enjoy. As long as you’re moving, you’ll reap benefits.

5. Think about how you’re going to look as you continue to exercise regularly. Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that body image drive you.

6. Magazines. It motivates me to read fitness magazines. I get energized when I read about other people striving for the same goals as me.

7. Cover models. When I see a cover model that looks really good (and most look terrific) it helps motivate me to work harder.

8. Blogs. I enjoy reading blogs about people who are into fitness training. I can relate to the ups and downs they go through, and learn from their experiences.

9. Success stories. I find the success stories of others to be motivational inspirations.

10. I reward myself. Especially if I am having trouble getting motivated. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, a book, a magazine, a pretty new nail polish, or a small bouquet of flowers. One of my friends buys herself fitness presents to reward her dedication.

11. Fitting into new clothes. The love of clothes is a great motivator for staying in shape. If you want to look good in all the new styles. Work out!

12. Adrenaline rush. I get a rush when I exercise and it lasts long after my workout.

13. Stress relief. Stressed from a long day at the office? Get out and work it off. It really helps to have this physical outlet to let go of all that tension.

14. Time for contemplation. Sometimes, I enjoy losing myself in my thoughts when I exercise. I’ve found it often helps me uncover solutions to daily problems.

15. A workout partner. Not only is it much more fun to exercise with a friend, you have a sense of responsibility to them to keep your workout appointment.

16. An exercise class. Sign up for a class, perhaps with a friend, and you’ll be motivated to get there and work out.

17. A coach or trainer. Worth the money, just for the motivation.

18. An exercise Journal. People who keep a journal of their workout routine have a far better chance of success than those who do not. The journal is your own personal checkpoint to remind you where you came from, where you are now and what your intended goal is to be.

19. Looking at a before picture of myself. You often don’t realize how far you’ve come. Find an old picture of you taken before you began working out.

20. The dread of feeling disappointment from not exercising. I hate the guilt, frustration and feeling like I have missed something very important when I skip my workout. So I remind myself of that when I’m feeling too tired or lazy to workout.