"I Want to Be Here for My Family, and That Motivates Me to Be Healthier Each Day"

Photo credit: Nancy Zarriello
Photo credit: Nancy Zarriello

From Woman's Day

Ponder this question: What motivates you? Millions of people post their inspirations to the #mondaymotivation hashtag on Instagram and Twitter each week—often it’s a gym selfie to encourage others to work out too, or a stunning sunrise that made starting a new workday just a little bit easier. We love the sentiment, so we posed that question to the ladies in this year’s Live Longer & Stronger Challenge, with a very specific angle: What were they using to motivate themselves to stick to our heart-healthy eating and exercise plan that week? There was one common thread—the family they were working so hard to change for. But each woman also drew motivation from other things that were near and dear to their (already healthier) hearts. A new dress they wanted to fit into, a pacemaker scar that symbolized her fight to live well, a new book she authored that taught kindness and acceptance, good friends who changed their own habits as a show of support, and more. Here are a few of our favorites.

"I want to be able to wear my wedding ring again"

"My kid said something that I'll never forget"

"I want to conquer that mountain!"

(During the exercise challenge, you might remember that Nancy tried hiking a mountain but had to stop after experiencing chest pains. Almost two months later, and just weeks after filming this video, she made it to the top!)

"I know my body's changing, and I'm embracing it"

"I'm heading into girl's weekend more confident than ever!"

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