I'm pretty good at inventing reasons to skip my workout.

For example, if the weather is perfect, I can convince myself that a puffy white cloud on the horizon could mean a impending thunderstorm.

Or an evening bike ride—which I'd promised to do after missing a morning trip to the gym—is cancelled if I realize that, say, the season finale of Top Chef is on TV. And, of course, sometimes the dog eats my training plan.

For me, the toughest thing about exercise is staying motivated long enough to see results. (Presumably, if I ever see do see results, that'll be motivation enough.)

For years, I thought it all came down to will power. I've since discovered that staying motivated requires far more strategy than strength. And, luckily, there are lots of strategies out there to defeat my inner couch potato.

Like me, you've probably heard a few tricks already. Get an exercise buddy, set goals, and reward yourself, for example.

But what I didn't know was that setting a general goal isn't terribly helpful. Instead of deciding "I want to get stronger," experts say that it's far better to set a very specific goal, such as, "I want to do three pull-ups by November."

There's a great overview on how to set effective exercise goals at About.com's Sports Medicine site. They've detailed the S.M.A.R.T. principle, which includes setting specific, measurable, adjustable, realistic, and time-based goals.

I also found an interesting article at WebM.D. that provides general information on getting into the right mindset for exercise. One helpful tip is to quit falling into an "all-or-nothing" trap. I'm guilty of that, because I tend to push myself too hard, burn out, and then beat myself up when I decide to stay in to watch Top Chef.

They also suggest applying some mind-body tactics from yoga, such respecting your body's limitations, striving for a non-judgmental attitude, and focusing on breathing.

Personally, I get a major boost from keeping an online journal. I've set one up at coolrunning.com, and I feel a weird but tangible satisfaction whenever I enter in a workout. A friend swears by MapMyFitness for walks, runs, bike rides, hikes, and triathalon training. Otherwise, a quick search for online fitness journal turns up hundreds of free fitness tracking sites.

Another thing I like are active message boards and forums on larger fitness sites. They're loaded with inspiring stories, answers to pretty much any question, and boundless enthusiasm from a bunch of people who actually seem to like working out. Hmm. Obviously, I have much to learn.