“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.” – Obi Wan Kenobi

“These aren’t the droids we’re looking for.” – Dumb Ass Stormtroopers

There are days when you would rather have a root canal than exercise (hopefully those days are few and far between). For some reason or another you just can’t pull your personal thing together and motivate to workout. What’s an inspiring Jedi master to do?

Jedi mind trick yourself.

Tricking yourself into exercising is a great way to stay on task and not fall of the healthy bandwagon. Using your mental capabilities to master your lack of desire for physical exertion will help you through those times when the idea of hitting the gym just seems like a big “meh.” Below are some tricks to make yourself workout when you just plain don’t want to.

May the force be with you…and your aching muscles.

* If the thought of actually having to go out and get your five-mile weekly jog in completely sickens you, just tell yourself that you’ll go out and do only three miles. Chances are by mile three you’ll be into it and have enough energy to make it to five.

* If you have to wake up butt early to work out, put your workout clothes right on the floor of your bed so when you get up they are the first thing you step on. This simple action will consume you with guilt, forcing you to hit the gym. (Note: This move is also known as “The Touch of Guilt.”)

* Speaking of getting up early, set your alarm to a music station that plays the music you hate the most. Nothing will get you out of bed faster and ready to work out than the rage of having been woken up to Maroon Five.

* If you had a particularly bad eating day then use the memory of that to fuel your workout the next day. Keep reminding yourself that that bacon cheeseburger topped with a fried egg needs to be accounted for.

* Join a super expensive gym, upgrade to a full package and insist on a long-term contract where you pay up front. If the thought of losing all that money can’t motivate you than nothing will.

* Every time you workout, throw a dollar into your sock drawer. You’ll be amazed at how addicting it is to see that money pileup. (It’s definitely more addicting than “feeling the burn.”) It’s also just sound financial planning, too.

* Have a backup playlist to your workout playlist (and then a backup to the backup) so you can’t use the excuse, ‘I’m bored with my music.”

* If you are truly beat up and tired, try downsizing: Turn a run into a walk, weights to pushups and situps, yoga into stretching. Anything is better than sitting on your ass.

* Set up a specific goal: If you work out five days a week for three weeks straight you can eat an entire chocolate cake. Once the three weeks are up you’ll look and feel so great that you won’t want the chocolate cake and you can push it to another three weeks…and another…and another…. (This is also known as “The Dangling Carrot” trick. Or cake. “Dangling Cake” sounds much better.)

* Put a Post It Note on your bathroom mirror telling you of what workout you will do for each day. Seeing it will help you better prepare for it. As an option, you can give yourself a daily affirmation with each, such as “You got this!” or “Must you disappoint me again?”

* Ask yourself this question: Do I want to work out? If the answer is yes – go work out. If the answer is no – go work out anyway.