BE FIT MOTIVATION

1)"I'm too far from my goal, so why start?"

Rut Buster: How about this for an incentive: Just by walking a little more every day, you can shrink your waistin 12 weeks. When formerly sedentary women consistently tallied a weekly average of 470 steps more a day -- that's about a five-minute walk -- than they had the week before, they lost a quarter inch from their waistlines without dieting. Whether you have a lot of weight to shed or a certain distance to run, break up your goal into smaller units, suggests trainer Tracey Mallett, creator of the Lose the Belly Flab DVD. Little victories, like dropping a pound a week or running an extra minute without stopping, will fuel your momentum.

2)"I hate cardio."

Rut Buster: Swap endless treadmill time for circuits, suggests trainer Jim Karas, author of The 7-Day Energy Surge. According to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, circuit training beats aerobic exercise for building upper-body strength while giving an equal boost in cardio capacity. Try Karas's technique: Alternate one-minute sets of upper- and lower-body moves, resting for 30 seconds in between and doing each set with enough weight so that your muscles cry uncle at 10 reps

3)"I don't have the energy."

Rut Buster: Exercising at even a very easy pace will give you more energy than if you sit it out. A University of Georgia study of people who reported persistent fatigue found that those who rode a stationary bike three times a week at low intensity got a bigger energy boost than those who didn't exercise. In a follow-up study, the same cyclers maintained the extra oomph over the six weeks they kept exercising.

4)"I'm getting nowhere, so why bother?"

Rut Buster: First of all, swap the carrot for the stick. "You didn't gain 10 pounds in 10 days, so it might take a while to lose it," Karas says. "Be patient and visualize yourself in leaner days for positive reinforcement." Then look beyond the scale. "Remind yourself that the benefits of exercise -- being healthier, happier, and living longer -- are so much greater than the weight loss," says Kelly McGonigal, PhD, a psychologist at Stanford University. But if downsizing is your main motive, raise your game: Pick up your walking pace or add reps or sets. "You can't expect bigger results by doing the same thing," McGonigal says.

5)"I'm bored with my same old routine."

Rut Buster: Spicing up your steady sweat sessions with speed will wake up your mojo, a study in the Journal of Sports Science found. Exercisers who did 50-minute runs rated their enjoyment as much higher when they mixed in six 3-minute intervals. Is it time to expand your routine repertoire? Check active.com for sporty events near you, or get free workout podcasts at motiontraxx.com/gseriesfit.