When it comes to working out, where do you get your motivation? Those of you who are following an exercise regimen may have the answer to that question, but what about those of you who don’t. Do you see motivation as this mysterious thing that you hear about and wish would come down from above, capture you and take you to the gym? Even the most motivated people will tell you that it is not that easy. Everyone has times when they just don’t want to do it, and I mean everyone. So, where can we get some good old-fashioned motivation? The truth is, it is very individual. Many people start an exercise program to lose weight. I guess I can’t say that that is not a good reason as it is very common. But I do think it is better when there are other factors involved. Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight and if that is your only goal, you may get discouraged. We also see a lot of people taking up exercise because of a bad doctors visit, say high blood pressure, or cholesterol.
Luckily doctors are telling people to get moving to improve their situation, much better than just writing out a prescription. Some people exercise to release the day’s stresses in a healthy manner. Nothing works for stress like a good workout! Some people want to get fit so that they can keep up with their kids and be a good role model. I must say that I love when that is the motivation, because it is a wonderful source of lasting inspiration. And then there are the people who are motivated by a class reunion, a wedding or a swimsuit. I must say that this is where we see the worst rate of follow through and weight gain after the event has passed. It proves that you need to want to do this for yourself and your health and not for anyone else. Whenever someone comes to me and wants personal training to get in shape for an upcoming class reunion, I nearly cringe because I know that they are very likely to either not be motivated enough or they will get to their goal and after the reunion they will gain it all back. I wish that I could convey to everyone that the best source of motivation is much bigger than what size you wear or how good you look. It is about improving the quality of your life. It is about living an active, vibrant, energetic and healthy life at any age. The benefits of exercise are so huge and far-reaching! Working out gives you confidence, improves your state of mind, keeps your heart and lungs healthy and strong, relieves stress, strengthens muscles, relieves depression symptoms and gives you energy.
How’s that for motivation! These are things that you take with you long after the workout is over. Sure we all want to look our best and most of us want to take off a few pounds. If you combine a healthy diet with your workouts, you will get there. But even just adding exercise to your life will give you all the other benefits I listed whether you totally change your diet or not. So the next time you tell yourself that you’re going to start working out, think about the motto at our gym. ‘Improve your life through fitness’. Think long term and realize the power that adding exercise can have in your life. It is not about what happens in the gym, it is about what happens outside of it.
