Fitness Motivation : Get Excited to Get Fit
Fitness Motivation in 7 Easy Steps : I Know I should exercise but
It’s only February, and already our New Year’s resolutions have become more like suggestions. It never takes long for fitness goals to fall by the wayside, but keep reading to learn how you can snap out of the funk and get back into the groove.
There Will be Boredom
First, recognize that you’re not weak, pathetic, or pitiful for not sticking to your workout. It’s natural to go through phases during a fitness routine—just like the phases you go through when you first start dating someone.
1. Honeymoon period: You’re giddy and excited and feel like you could spend the rest of your life doing this. You do outrageous things and have goals in only the highest places.
2. Post-honeymoon period: All the lofty goals and habits you had are too much work now. You get careless and lethargic once you realize the routine/relationship takes actual hard work. You start dreading the routine/relationship. At this point, many couples and fitness routines break up.
3. Work period: You want the routine/relationship to work so you go to the gym/therapy and do things you don’t always want to do. Sometimes, it sucks. Sometimes, it’s rewarding.
4. Peace period: You’ve resolved most of your conflicts with the routine/relationship and although it’s never quite smooth sailing, you’re both committed and making strides.
The best way to get out of your post New Year’s resolution funk is by accepting and even knowing ahead that you will experience boredom. This way, you can prepare for it and ride out the waves.
This doesn’t mean making even bigger goals and even longer, tougher workouts to revamp your fitness routine. To the contrary, this will wreck your motivation in the long run. Instead, be honest with yourself and create a realistic routine. Even if it seems too easy when you’re in the honeymoon phase, it’ll be realistic once the boredom sets in. At least then you’ll still be working out.
Identify Your Motivators
Why do you want to get fit? Health benefits? To feel athletic? To finish a triathlon? To feel more energetic? Figure out what makes you want to be fit and place reminders of your reasons around your home and in your workout log (which you will need, by the way).
Make a Workout Log
Every day, write what you did for your fitness routine—even if (especially if) you didn’t do it. You’ll get a more realistic idea of what motivates you, what demotivates you, and what you can keep up with.
Breaking promises to yourself is a common demotivator because we get down on ourselves and give up. Pick days to work out when you know you’ll have time to do it. Do you have a lot going on that day? Will you be able to fit a 30-minute workout during your lunch hour even though so-and-so has asked you to run a few errands? Will you work out in the morning or afternoon? Make the first hurdle easy to clear so you don’t cheat and say, “Eh, maybe tomorrow”.
Don’t Use Food as a Reward
If you already have a good relationship with food (you don’t restrict yourself), you can use a night out at a restaurant or making your own recipe as a reward for sticking to your game plan, but otherwise using food as a reward can turn into something undesirable like a binge. Instead, reward yourself for a week of good fitness ethic by replacing one workout at the end of the week with running around with the dog on the beach or the dog park. Play a game of tennis with a friend. Invite some pals to a day at the local paintball field. Making exercise fun is a great motivator to keep up with your current routine.
Prepare for Rainy Days
Literally. If you’re an outdoor exerciser, keep a few fitness DVDs handy on your workout days to keep your promise to yourself. We can’t always keep our promises exactly, but just as you would make it up to a friend, make it up to yourself.
This article was specially written for Simply Fitness Gear by Maria Rainier. Maria is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, writing on fitness instruction as well as other online degree programs. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
Great Time to Get A Motivation Boost with a Heart Rate Monitor
If you are struggling to keep your fitness motivation going after starting out full of enthusiasm in the New Year it’s time to give your fitness regime a motivational boost.
If you are not already using a heart rate monitor then seriously think about getting one.
The thing is that a heart rate monitor will show you how much fitter you are getting before you feel any difference yourself. And you will always have something to challenge yourself with.
I have a Polar F6F which is a great little mid range heart rate monitor. It is like having a coach asking you to work a little bit harder, a little bit longer, an extra few calories during your fitness session yet it tells you if you are pushing yourself too hard. You never have to reach a level higher than you are capable of, yet you can’t get away with slacking either – your heart rate will tell you when you are.
And if you like to see your progress in black and white you can plot your results until the cows come home until you are literally off the charts from where you are just now.
Lazy by nature, I use my heart rate monitor whenever I exercise so that I can’t get away with anything. And I’m convinced (in fact, I know) I wouldn’t do half as much without it)
Just now Amazon have some great deals on heart rate monitors with up to 30% off – if finances are a bit tight don’t go for anything fancy – the basic functionality will do just great and you can always upgrade if you get hooked. (The Polar F6F is my second heart rate monitor.)
Ultimate Exercise Motivation
If you just can’t be bothered to get to the gym, go out for your run or even take a 15 minute walk today watch a quick 10 minute video which will work miracles on your fitness motivation.
It will make you see that no matter how busy you are, how tired or how little energy you have, you really can just get out there and do it. There are no excuses – you can do something to get fit today – you really can.
If you set your mind to exercise, there is no stopping you. You have so much going for you. Make sure you put it to use.
Fitness Goals: Targets or Standards?
Although you may have an overall goal to get fit, remember that fitness is not just a target but something you want to maintain in your life forever.
It’s not as if you want to run a marathon and then retire to couch-potato land forever (well at least I hope not) so fitness goals need to be looked at a little differently from those you might have for your career or finances.
Once you have reached a reasonable level of fitness with your initial goal “to get fit”, you may want to set a goal to reach a higher level or you may just want to set standards for yourself.
You don’t have to strive to get fitter and fitter unless you have really got the fitness bug. But if you don’t challenge yourself regularly, you will lose the level of fitness you have reached.
Standards could be things like
- I will work on strengthening my muscles for twenty minutes three times a week
- I will walk at least 30 minutes every day
- I will practice yoga 5 times a week
- I will eat 7 portions fruit and vegetables a day
- I will try a new activity every month
- I will find a dance class I like and attend twice a week
The difference is that standards type goals never end – though you should review them regularly to make sure they are taking you where you want to be.
Keeping up standards can be just as challenging as working on improving fitness and in some ways you need to be even more motivated to keep this up as you will not be seeing so many dramatic positive changes in how you look and feel.
Maintaining a log can help with motivation – you’ll be able to see in black and white how well you are sticking to your standards when you mark off what you do each day.
Fitness Motivation: Do You Have a Goal “To Get Fit”?
Fitness Goals image by Dale Gillard
Having a goal to get fit is all well and good and many of us decide that we’d like to do that.
This seems to be the case particularly around January 1st when we are replete with festive food and fat and also as summer approaches when we realize the layers of winter clothing will no longer be hiding the evidence of our neglect.
But what does getting fit mean exactly?
What are you aiming for when you say you want to get fit?
- Do you mean you want to be able to run for the bus without going red in the face or to be so fit you can run a marathon in under four hours?
- Are you looking for cardio fitness or muscle definition? flexibility or bulk?
- Do you really just want to lose weight and get in shape and think getting fit will help?
You see there are as many types of fitness as there are types of people and your goals should match what you are trying to achieve.
For this you need to know why you want to get fit
It helps your motivation to have a precise vision in mind of what you are aiming for when you think about being fit.
What exactly will be different when you achieve your goal ?
- What does getting fit look like?
- What does getting fit feel like?
- What will you be doing differently when you are fit?
Only once you know why you want to get fit and what exactly you are aiming for can you start to work out the steps you can take to actually achieve your goal to get fit.
Fitness Motivation: Leave Room For More
Fitness Motivation image by ggvic
Although motivation is at its highest when you introduce a new fitness program, you need to fight the urge to get over-enthusiastic when you begin a new workout routine or sport.
I know that sounds a bit counterproductive but there is method in my madness.
If you go all out to reach your limits and do too much too soon:-
- you will feel the negative effects first – over-tired aching muscles and potentially injury
- you are going to find long and frequent workouts and training sessions more difficult to slot into your life when you weren’t doing so much before
- you are more likely to drop out within the first few weeks as it all becomes too much for you
Give yourself a chance to get used to your new fitness regime and make your new exercise a habit before you push yourself too far. Feel the benefits and then expand your reach and you are more likely to make it a long-term activity.
So do the beginners program even if you think you are moderately fit. Do two sessions a week rather than three. And let yourself want to do more rather than less.
Easy Fitness Motivation Tip
I have found this fitness motivation tip to be easy but also very effective for my clients (and it works for me every time too!)
If you’re trying to start a daily fitness habit then the best thing you can do if buy a large paper calendar and a big thick black marker pen and pin it up on your wall where you will be able to see it often.
Then every day you do your workout (or other good habit – whatever you’re trying to achieve) take your marker pen and put a big cross through the day.
After a row of crosses you are not going to want to leave a gap.
Aim for 30 crosses in a row – miss one and you have to start right back at the beginning.
If at all possible put your calendar up where co-workers or family will see it. They’ll ask about it and that will help spur you on too!
Fitness Motivation : Are You a Fair Weather Exerciser?
When the roads are icy, rain is beating down and the wind is blowing right in your face, the natural reaction for many of us (including me) is to batten down the hatches and snuggle down in front of the TV.
After all, the day when you have to reveal the results of your laziness on the beach seems a long way off.
But try and curb the temptation to be lazy because it really won’t be long before you’ll regret it.
If you think about it logically, there’s no need to exercise outside anyway unless you really want to risk slipping on the ice and catching pneumonia.
If you are a member of a gym, make the most of the opportunity you have to use the equipment at your disposal – the crowds will have thinned out by now since the joining hysteria in January and it should be a lot pleasanter there.
If you don’t have gym membership, then there are plenty of workout options that you can do at home (with or without equipment) which will get you just as fit as any gym and getting to your lounge or basement will take up less of your precious time. (See all the suggestions for working out at home in “27 Ways to Get Fit for Free“) .
In just 2 – 4 months when the fair weather arrives (depending where you live) you will be so pleased you made the effort when you reveal toned arms, firm thighs and flat abs.
Or you can stay in front of the TV and feel out of shape along with 95% of the population when April comes around.
Don’t ever accept being less than you could be. You deserve better than that!
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