What motivates you to get your ass outta bed to workout?

I went through a period where the only thing that motivated me to get out of bed at 6am (sometimes earlier! eek) to workout was FOOD. If I get up, then I can EAT. So I'd sluggishly walk to the kitchen for handfuls of Kashi Go Lean cereal, spoonfuls of peanut butter and anything else that looked good. OK, so this was a problem for a couple reasons. Even though I had already eaten more than a sufficient amount of calories for breakfast pre-workout, I'd still want to sit down for my real meal afterwards. (Double the calories, double the tummy rolls. No thank you!) And of course this little snacking habit was not economical; I can't even remember the last time I bought Kashi cereal--that shit is EXPENSIVE. But, I think I have found a solution to this problem.

So you know when your alarm goes off, but you're so tired that you think that beeping noise is just in your dreams? Well that happened to me on Friday at 5:30am. I seriously could not figure out for the life of me where the noise was coming from--all I knew is that I wanted it to stop. After what seemed like ten minutes later, I finally snapped out of it and turned off my alarm. My head felt cloudy (no I was not hungover) and my whole body was just exhausted, but since I hadn't exercised much all week, I knew I needed to do something.

And something I did. I told myself I'd just go for a walk and see what happens, in the hopes that I'd eventually start running. Well I took off down Fifth Avenue and ten blocks later I was still walking. Another ten blocks, walking. I just didn't have it in me to run. Sometimes you just gotta push through and DO IT, but my body seriously felt incapable of any sort of strenuous activity. I always kinda thought it was BS when yoga teachers said to "listen to your body" and rest when you need it--I mean, who really wants hold a side plank or full wheel for 60 seconds? (Acutally, I'm kind of the bomb at both poses, but you know what I mean.) But, I think there's something to that--you need to know what to push yourself and when to back off.

So now I've learned that it doesn't have to be all or nothing when it comes to working out. I just need to get my ass UP, and taking the pressure off myself to go balls to the wall (yes I said it) every time I lace up my sneakers will help me do just that. And actually, I think the walk on Friday was just what I needed because my run this am was awesome! (Hello sweaty Ellen! Well, that pic is a helluva lot better than this one. Whoa.)

So tell me: What motivates you to get outta bed to workout when you're really not feeling it? Any tips or tricks to share?