It’s the age old question – how do we keep the momentum going with health and fitness goals, and make sure we stay motivated enough to achieve everything we need to do, without letting our energies slip and becoming fed up with the work? Motivation isn’t something that can be learned, and many of us are left floundering without inspiration, forgetting what gave us the drive and ambition to succeed when we first started healthy lifestyle journey.
The problem with motivation is it always seems dependent upon the environment and external circumstances. If we get bad feedback, our we feel too sick to exercise, motivation seems to disappears as quickly as you can say ‘loss of confidence.’ Similarly, when life is going brilliantly it can be hard to exercise, as we are keen to enjoy our circumstances while the going is good, and it feels tough to have to apply ourselves and stop having fun.
So, motivation can ebb and flow, but our physical results demand a constant stream of input in order to thrive. Exercise, of all the disciplines to do with our health, is probably one of the most demanding jobs. If we slack off, it’s immediately evident in the fact that we haven’t trained for a while, or we feel sluggish and unfit in just a few short days. As a highly visible platform for successful results, exercise is relentless and requires the maximum input.
Given the amount of time we need to make changes in our bodies, having the right amount of motivation is a really important element of our ultimate success. Without it, we’ll be left with an out of shape body, and self disappointment. Additionally, it takes motivation to produce results, stay positive, commit to other healthy habits each day, and undertake the tasks necessary to be fit and healthy. So, how do we get motivated, and what can we do to ensure that even when things are becoming too hard or we feel too jaded to make it to a training session?
Here are some ideas…
Manage your time
Nothing saps motivation more than feeling that things are getting on top of us. Instead of rallying when this happens, we tend instead to procrastinate, putting things off until the situation becomes even worse. For some reason, most exercisers find that the more stressed they are, the less results they can actually achieve!
Because of this, time management is one of the most important elements which contribute to great motivation. Knowing you have a fantastic exercise routine to work to every other day, which is proven to deliver results and produce a satisfactory outcome for your efforts is motivational in itself.
Don’t get distracted
Most of us who exercise from home, discover it is a terrible breeding-ground for distractions. There will always be laundry that needs doing, someone popping in for a social call, and the television (that well-known attention vacuum which can suck away two hours of your life before you have the chance to say ‘Talk Show’). Because of this, it’s important not to let yourself get distracted from your goal, no matter how hard that may be at the time.
Another huge pull on our attention to self doubt, which lures us away from our purpose at every turn with beauty magazine advertisement, well meaning friends that think they know better, and social training partners who chit-chat through an entire session and then encourage tea and cake post workout.
Distractions, then, are a hugely negative sap on motivation. The more we procrastinate and get sidetracked, the lower our motivation to get things done will become. Instead, we begin to feel stressed, disappointed and demotivated, as the weight gain piles on and we flounder in a sea of busyness and things to do.
Remind yourself of your goals
Motivation and ambition go hand in hand. This is because when we clearly identify what we want to achieve, and hold it in our minds at all times, it becomes easier to work towards this achievement with single-minded perseverance. People who are not sure where they want to go, what they want to achieve nor how to set about achieving it will not have the motivation which is needed to succeed.
Speak to experts
Nothing sparks off the big start you need to get your motivational juices flowing quite like speaking with like-minded enthusiasts. These are the people who can show you where you want to be, and give you the advice which you need to achieve it.
Small successes every day
Doing one small thing successfully everyday is one of the mainstays of personal development and achievement. It also opens up new health routines for you, and starts off the daily routines which can lead to motivation. The more consistent you are with a healthy routine you can achieve, the easier it is to generate the energy and enthusiasm needed to leap out of bed each day and do a kick-ass workout. Achieving through small successes every day, watch your dream body come to fruition.
Learning new things also stimulates our brains and makes us come alive. It sparks off new thought processes and wakes us up to new possibilities and potential for our healthy future. Learning can also become a habit, as we waken up our brains and make them more receptive to picking up new concepts and stretching our mental and physical capabilities.
As soon as you hit the pavement, oxygen floods your body with positive feelings fueling your mind with ambition and success, and this is one of the most effective catalysts for keeping you enthusiastic, motivated and raring to go. Don’t believe me? Try it. Pick an exercise close to both your heart and your ability, action it, and see where it leads. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Laugh
Being tired and jaded saps motivation quicker than a Utility drinks petrol. The surefire way of combating the miserable feeling of being tired and de-motivated is to have a good solid belly-laugh. This could be at someone else’s expense, at your own, or simply for the hell of it. Find a way to laugh off your worries and think more positively about your physical goals, and you’ll be more motivated than Arnold Schwarzennegar when he looks at a particularly sexy dumbbell.