I focus on the psychology of fitness and success because I believe that if you understand 'why' you want to do something the 'how' part becomes easy. I didn't get fit by reading about how to perform a sit-up. I got fit because something motivated me to want to learn how to perform every sit-up God made.

Learning what uniquely motivates you is what will make you successful in your weight loss or weight gain journey. Here are 101 strategies that I have seriously used in my years in training.

1: Write down your goals.

2: Create a fitness action plan.

3: Devise a desirable reward.

4: Set a completion date.

5: Enter a competition.

6: Enter a competition amongst your friends.

7: Plaster motivational quotes all over your house.

8: Write "Every Day is a New Battle" on your bathroom mirror.

9: Post your favorite fitness role model on your refrigerator.

10: Post your favorite fat picture on your refrigerator.

11: Type "Your Character is your Destiny" on your screen saver.

12: Type "Get off your Fat Butt" on your screen saver.

13: Practice core strength by using a stability ball for a chair.

14: Rollover and do some crunches in-between emails on your stability ball chair.

15: Buy a nice wardrobe that will fit you in two months.

16: Donate all your fat clothes to Salvation Army.

17: Moderate your strict eating with a fat meal once a week.

18: When eating your fat meal, look at the body type of other people who eat fat meals daily.

19: Buy some fitness magazines.

20: Read some "how to" fitness articles.

21: Join a fitness web blog: www.louisdorman.com.

22: Read Louis' transformation story.

23: Pray and thank God you only have to lose half the weight he lost.

24: Make a supportive fitness group.

25: Hang around fit friends.

26: Surround yourself with people and things that promote a healthy lifestyle.

27: Find a running partner.

28: Inspire your own partner to run with you.

29: Create fitness goals with your partner.

30: Make a workout and diet log.

31: Personalize your journal by adding inspirational quotes and pictures.

32: Document your progress: weight, body fat, and blood pressure.

33: Attend a bodybuilding/fitness show.

34: Talk to competitors and pros that live for fitness.

35: Ask your role models what motivates them.

36: Take a chance and email your role model off their web site.

37: Take a supplement for physical gains as well as a mental 'placebo' effect.

38: Drink some coffee.

39: Drink more coffee.

40: Date someone more fit than you.

41: Date someone who inspires you.

42: Date someone you want to look really good naked for.

43: Shave your body so you can see all your muscles.

44: Tan your body so you can see all the lines and contours of your muscles.

45: Tan your body at the beach so that people with really nice bodies can inspire you.

46: Hire a trainer.

47: Become a trainer.

48: Humble a trainer by knowing more stuff than him/her.

49: Look like a trainer.

50: Buy new athletic shoes.

51: Buy a new workout outfit.

52: Buy clean, new and comfortable socks.

53: Wear really bright colors to the gym.

54: Take a group exercise class.

55: Take a spinning class for really intense cardio.

56: Take Yoga or Pilate's class for variety and core strength.

57: Drink an energy drink.

58: Plan a vacation where you have to wear a swimsuit.

59: Read Lance Armstrong's biography.

60: Envision your workout during your warm-up.

61: Focus on the workout, one set at a time.

62: Beat yourself up with weights for even getting de-motivated.

63: Conquer your negative thoughts by pushing your body into painful consciousness.

64: Experiment on how much you can make yourself sweat.

65: Make it a goal to be the fittest person in the weight room - or any room for that matter.

66: Test your Max on pushups and pullups.

67: Post the Krispy Kreme's calendar on your wall.

68: Post Monica Brant's calendar on your wall.

69: Watch Ronnie Coleman videos.

70: Read articles by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

71: Buy a home exercise bike or treadmill.

72: Become the inspiration amongst your friends.

73: Help someone who is very overweight or wants to gain muscle.

74: Visit my web site: www.mariakang.com.

75: Place your alarm clock across your bedroom so that you have to get up to turn it off in the morning.

76: Place your athletic shoes right next to your alarm clock.

77: Place a quote right next to your alarm clock that says: "Today you are closer to the person you were meant to become."

78: Alarm your cell phone to give you daily reminders to eat, workout and give gratitude.

79: Volunteer your time with people who don't have full function of their bodies.

80: Volunteer your passion for fitness at a YMCA.

81: Look up new, healthy recipes to cook.

82: Search for new, healthy restaurants to eat at.

83: Observe the body type of the people at restaurants you shouldn't eat at.

84: Read one of Mike Mahler's Aggressive Strength Training Articles on BB.com.

85: Learn a new exercise technique like Kettle Bell training.

86: Turn off your TV and run.

87: Buy a new MP3 player or IPOD and put some high, energy, workout songs on it.

88: Buy new workout devices like a heart rate monitor or pedometer.

89: Workout at a different gym.

90: Workout at a different time of day.

91: Workout using all new exercises.

92: Vary your cardio by incorporating High Intensity Training.

93: Say a prayer for power right before you train.

94: Say a prayer for performance right before your set.

95: Say a prayer for pain during your set.

96: Say a prayer for persistence after your set.

97: Say a prayer for positive action after you train.

98: Read articles on Liftforlife.com.

99: Shop for supplements, videos and books on Bodybuilding.com.

100: Get passionate enough to write an article for Liftforlife.com.

101: You know what motivates you. Quit reading and make it happen.

Until next time,

Maria Kang

www.mariakang.com

Natural Bodybuilding at its Finest - Lift for Life.com