The 48-Hour Workout Jumpstart

48-Hour Exercise Jumpstart

If you're no longer getting results from your exercise routine, it may be time to kick it up a notch. With our 48-hour jumpstart plan you'll be upping the ante, reviving your energy, motivation, and momentum in two days flat.

Here are a few key points to get started:

Set new goals. Set your sights on the not-so-distant horizon by aiming for a specific goal, like running in a 5 or 10k in three months, completing a triathlon, or playing in the next level tennis league. Write down your goal and post it somewhere visible as a daily reminder, suggests Stacey Rosenfeld, PhD, the chief sports psychologist for the New York City Triathlon.

Clock in. Buy a cheap pedometer (found at any Target or drugstore chain) to count your daily steps, suggests Doris Dodge-Thews, master trainer for 24-Hour Fitness in Orange County, California. "You're going to be moving the next two days, and you want to see your progress," she says. Shoot for a minimum of 3,000 steps per day.

Mix in some fun. Think of people you know who are fit and motivated, and set up some new "workout dates." They'll help you stick to your new plan. "Think of them as guest appearances, so it's exciting and there's variety," says Dodge-Thews.

And keep in mind that an amped-up fitness plan can be enjoyable. Rosenfeld encourages her clients to try something new and fun. "Take a belly dancing class, go rock climbing with friends, join a soccer league, train for a triathlon -- anything that gets you moving and that you approach with excitement, or as a challenge, rather than with boredom or dread."

Customize online. Don't let the economy become an excuse. If you can't afford a trainer anymore, we've got several for you -- all free -- at FitnessMagazine.com. Pinpoint your trouble spots with what you have at home using our customized "Build a Workout" video tool. "You can focus on the specific body parts you want to firm up," says Mary Christ Anderson, FITNESS magazine's Fitness Director. "You'll have it all ready to go when you are."

Get ready to re-start your engines!