How do I Stay Motivated?
How do I Stay Motivated?
This is a question I constantly ask myself, sometimes feeling as though something is wrong with me. As it turns out, there’s not anything wrong with me, nor is anything wrong with you. Even the most dedicated gym-goers struggle with motivation because after the novelty wears off, so does your momentum.
Nothing is wrong with me, nor is anything wrong with you. -Truth
So how can we stay consistent with our fitness goals without a motivational boost? Let’s take a look at a couple of ideas that might help us reach our version of success!
Firstly, we must clearly outline our goals. What is the outcome we are looking for? Once we find out what we want to accomplish, we can map out how to get there.
- Consistency?
- Strength?
- Flexibility?
- Endurance?
- Heart health?
- Weight loss?
So now that we know what we want, we can implement these next tools to get there. Remember “slow and steady wins the race”? This is a catchphrase for a reason. The idea here is that if you map out your steps in a slow succession you have a better chance of making it a lifestyle and not a phase. Start with one step and continue this until it’s a habit, then add another step and so on and so forth until you have a full fitness routine that’s in line with your goals.
Discover what keeps you excited. Lastly, incentivize. This could mean alternating or adding different exercises, inviting a friend, or pairing the activity with a reward. Let’s say you’re just starting out. Your goal is to lose weight and you’ve already mastered your diet. Eventually, you want to work out 5 days per week. You start off slow by consistently going to the gym lifting weights 1 day per week. After 4 weeks you feel confident to add another day. Another 4 weeks and you add a cardio day doing the bicycle while getting to watch your favorite show. Win, win! Another 4 weeks and you add another weight lifting day in the gym. Finally, after you’ve had that routine down you decided to make your final day a walk around a local track with a friend. It’s not what you originally planned, but it keeps you excited.
And sometimes maintaining a fitness routine does require flexibility and in the end, keeps us motivated. Now go get ‘em, you got this!
