A lot of us wonder exactly how to motivate ourselves to exercise… what is this special motivation thing you need to propel yourself out of bed or out the door and straight to your workouts?
The motivation thing is different for all of us, so no one can precisely answer that question. But what is known is that what determines whether you get your workout done or not is your attitude. It is our attitude that determines our level of fitness and it is our attitude that will determine whether we want to sit on the couch or get out to the gym for a workout.
The problem with motivation is that many of us believe it’s something that will come to us if we wait long enough… that someday we will wake up and finally want to exercise. Rather than believe in that fantasy, maybe we would all be better off by realizing that motivation is something we create for ourselves, not something we wait for.
What motivates each of us changes from day to day – what got us moving today may not do a darned thing tomorrow. That means digging deep to find that thing – that thought, feeling, goal, reward, etc. – that gets us moving. Your decision to exercise and be strong and fit isn’t a decision you make once – it is one you make every single day.
Make motivation easier for yourself by eliminating your excuses before they happen.
First, identify the habits that are holding you back from accomplishing your fitness goal. Habits, always come in predicable patterns, so look for and identify them so you can create a predictable pattern to overcome the negative old habits and create new positive ones. So if you find that you are lapsing with your exercise program, just ask yourself, ‘Is this going to get me the results that I want?” or “Is this taking me closer toward my goal or further away from it?”
Think about what could possibly derail you and plan a strategy to stop it happening. The more we can counter these challenges the better at it we will get at working around them. Everybody gets them; nobody has it easy all of the time.
This whole motivation thing does get easier with practice. When you exercise consistently, you gradually fill up your motivational stores as you understand what makes you tick and what gets you moving. The more you practice, the better you will get and you will realize your actions are what generate that feeling you have been searching for – motivation.
If you can make exercise a habit, you are that much closer to making it easier to do. It helps to have a regular day and time you workout so that, once that time comes, you know it’s time to get yourself busy and get going.
Proper exercise is one of the most important things you can do in your life for your own self care. It affects how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally. It affects how you look, how you function and contributes to your quality of life. It is never too late to start and the sooner you start the sooner you will reap the many benefits.
