Motivation can be a fleeting thing. Some days you’re up at 5am ready to absolutely crush your workout and take on the day. While other days can be, well, not so motivating. Aka are spent binging the latest season of “You” on Netflix. Right? 

But a little PSA here. You need some quality down time too. That does not make you a lazy or bad person, it just makes you human. And hey, most times you’ll find that your little rest and recovery session is just what your body needed to fire up your motivation again. Charged batteries...check. 

Ok, let’s get back to the fleeting motivation thing. It’s such a huge topic in our lives, but especially true when it comes to our health and fitness goals. I’m sure you’ve either heard or said the phrase, “Wow I wish I had your motivation!” But look, you can’t just wait for motivation to come around and then expect it to stay around forever. Sometimes we all need that little extra external push to get your body moving and then learn to internalize that feeling. 

Internal motivation is subjective and can look different to every single person. It comes down to your big why, as in, why are you doing this? What’s the end goal? What do you want your life to look like if you continue? 

In this article, we’re talking about external motivation and some pretty powerful quotes that have pushed us here at Cira to keep up our healthy habits in the gym. Of course, we were drawn to the body positive quotes because self love is one of the most important qualities a person can have. 

So let’s get into it! If you need something a little extra to keep your fitness goals and gym routine on track, have a read at these incredible quotes by some of our favourite powerhouse women and men. We’ve categorized them by 

Body Positive Quotes from Leading Ladies and Celebrities

Before we get into the heavy hitting quotes that will make you want to crank up your favourite Spotify playlist and get to the gym stat, let’s talk about body positivity and what that means. 

Body positivity is a social movement focused on the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. We love that this movement has gained so much traction in the last decade as it has paved the way for people to experience true self-acceptance.

Here are some of our favourite quotes said by badass Hollywood actresses, athletes, models and artists using their enormous social platform for good. 

"Your words have so much power. Every day, if you tell yourself 'I love you,' if you give yourself one word of validation, it will change your mind." — Ashley Graham

 “Beauty is the enemy. We try to conquer not feeling beautiful all our lives. It’s a battle that can’t be won. There’s no definition of beauty. The only way to achieve beauty is to feel it from inside without breaking down into individual physical attributes.” — Miley Cyrus 

“I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” — Emma Stone

I realize everybody wants what they don’t have. But at the end of the day, what you have inside is much more beautiful that what’s on the outside.” — Selena Gomez

 “Find a group of people who challenge + inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, + it will change your life.” — Amy Poehler

“You can’t hate yourself happy. You can’t criticize yourself thin. You can’t shame yourself worthy. Real change begins with self-love and self-care.” — Jessica Ortner

“I say I love myself, and they’re like, ‘oh my gosh’, she’s so brave. She’s so political. For what? All I said is ‘I love myself, bi**h!'” — Lizzo 

“You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” — Louise Hay   

“Since I don’t look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.” — Serena Williams 

Quotes From The Globe’s Most Fierce Female Athletes That Will Ignite Your Determination and Grit

Ok now that we’ve got the body positivity in check, let’s move on to some truly powerful quotes that will fuel your drive, determination and grit. Get ready. Ahem, we may have gone overboard with Serena Williams quotes. But hey, can you blame us?

"Over the years, I have really figured out what works for me. It's not about what anyone else is doing. I can't worry about whether I am doing everything that another player is doing, which can be hard sometimes. I have to trust my training and know my body and figure out what will get the best out of me." - Megan Rapinoe, soccer star

"Everyone's dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard." - Serena Williams, pro tennis player

“Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do and at some point you will” - ronda rousey 

"Everyone's dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard." - Serena Williams, pro tennis player

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King

“Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.” – Wilma Rudolph

“True champions aren’t always the ones that win, but those with the most guts.” – Mia Hamm

“The formula for success is simple: practice and concentration, then more practice and concentration.” – Babe Didrikson Zaharias

“My motto has always been that you can’t say, ‘Oh, it won’t happen to me.’ You have to say, ‘That can happen to me.’ So always be aware that things can happen.” – Venus Williams

“Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.” – Bethany Hamilton

Empowering Fitness Quotes to Fuel Your Next Workout

As a reminder, you’ve got body positive quotes to help you unleash that powerful self-love feeling, words from all-star athletes to ignite your determination and finally, it’s time to fuel your next sweat sesh. 

 “Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.” – Lee Haney

"I am 100% convinced that working out is part of what makes me so happy." - Jennifer Lopez

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” - Jim Ryun

"When I'm not feeling my best, I ask myself, 'what are you gonna do about it?' I use that negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me." - Beyoncé, singer, actress, and dancer

“The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow” - Arnold Schwarzenegger 

“It it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you. Fitness is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be” - Khloe Kardashian

Come back to these quotes when you’re feeling very “meh” about your next workout, they’re sure to light a fire in your soul. And hey, we want to know, what was your favourite quote from this blog post? We truly hope you’ve enjoyed them all!