Finding motivation to work out sometimes seems like an impossible task. Once you hit college, that motivation you once had almost disappears entirely. Everyone has heard of the "Freshman 15," and I am living proof that it does happen. I also was one of the few lucky ones that also achieved "Sophomore 10." Lucky me, right?

Growing up playing sports, you don't actually realize how physically active you are. There were weeks when I was in the pool nine different times for practice and had three soccer practices (not even counting the games and meets). Freshman year in college was the first time in my entire life that I did not play a sport. The first few weeks were awesome! But then I started sleeping more, I became addicted to Netflix and physical activity was literally nonexistent in my life.

Not only that, but pizza and french fries became my main diet. Even though my college had "healthier" options, it would take a lot of will power to choose them over the food that actually tasted good! Now, if you were one of those students that had salad everyday, I applaud you. I really do. That takes some serious dedication, which I did not (and occasionally do not) have. So how did I go from that dead-end to the road I am now? I found my motivation.

I am sure many people were in the same boat at some point in their life. I was constantly looking at motivational quotes and exercises on Pinterest rather then actually following through. So my question is...how does one find motivation to work out? Or be "healthy?"

Well, I know that the type of motivation differs from person to person. I also discovered that making plans with other people to do some kind of exercise is key. At least it was for me, because once I made those plans I would feel extremely bad breaking them.

Another useful tip is to find something that you actually enjoy doing. Not everyone loves to run (in my opinion, very few actually love it), so what is an appropriate alternative? For me, it was racquetball! After teaching a few friends how to play, we were finally able to play competitively. A lot of people don't see it as a difficult sport, but if you are playing with the right person, it can get extremely intense! Even if the "thing" you enjoy is walking dogs, that is still better then nothing.

I found that having short- and long-term goals also assisted in the process. I would essentially bribe myself to help me reach those goals. For example, I created a 30-day workout plan that included push ups, squats, planks, and crunches. I had a set amount that I had to do every day and I gradually increased each rep. After completing those 30 days (which I can proudly say I did), I got my cartilage pierced. It was something that I had wanted for a while and it gave me that motivation to complete the 30-day workout!

Lately, I have gotten into running again. I think a lot of my motivation comes from my natural competitiveness. My mind just always wants to "one up" something. If I ran four miles yesterday and didn't have a big issue with that, I would attempt to run five today. Similarly, if there is someone on a treadmill next to me and they are going at an eight-minute mile pace, I want to go a 7:30-minute mile pace. Yes, I do realize that I could push myself too much or not be able to keep up. But having this competitive drive has really pushed me to keep working. (I understand that this is not for everyone.)

Ultimately, you have to find the motivation to exercise for you. You shouldn't be doing it for someone else. If you have an awesome spring break trip planned and want to get in shape, go for it. Do it for you. If it is what you want, don't let someone tell you otherwise. You just have to get in the mindset that you are doing it and then stick to it.

So get out of your bed. Turn Netflix off. And get your motivation back.