Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush from Pexels
Finding some form of physical fitness motivation is my greatest challenge.
It doesn’t seem to matter how the day is going I usually find there is a moment when I have to actually talk myself into exercising.
Some days the talking to myself discussion is harder to do than others. I don’t want to work out when I’m tired and have other things on my mind. At those moments I might try to talk myself out of it.
So Easy To Not Get Motivated
Sometimes I’ll give myself excuses not to work out. The best one I always fall back on is the fact that I just worked out the previous day. There are occasions when I can stretch that into having just worked out a couple of days ago.
From that point I can start to rationalize. I’ll say to myself that there are still plenty of days in the week. If I exercise at least three of the days left in the week, I should be fine. Maybe it will be OK to only work out two days a week if I cram everything into those days.
Other times I’ve noted how well I’ve been eating lately so, I probably don’t have to exercise as much this week. In fact, I’ve been eating so well, I can probably treat myself to more junk food tonight and then work out tomorrow. That should work fine.
I’ve done all the rationalizing and internal monologues you can think of. There’s probably some great excuses to not exercise that I’ve given myself that I can’t even remember anymore because they were so obscure. One of my favorites is that it just isn’t the best time to exercise.
In any event, they are only excuses. I do my best to work through them and stick with the program.
Start With Some Sort Of Plan
As part of my physical fitness motivation I would generally start with a loose plan. I start thinking about exercising three or four times a week and go from there.
It doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Just start with a commitment to do something a few times a week for a decent amount of time.
A great place to start for me was walking. I’d commit to walking after dinner at least three times a week. When the weather was nice that could easily become four or five times a week. This is a good exercise habit to develop.
If the weather gets lousy I avoid the excuse of not being able to go outside by doing a staircase somewhere for a while. It’s also easy to a variation of the Brian Lazanik plank almost anywhere. Just focus on the plan and do it.
Fitness Motivation Comes Easier With A Goal
You know this one. Set a goal. This one is popular with all the self help gurus.
I found that by setting a goal you know where you’re going. Keep it simple. If you want to be able to go on a hike without getting winded, start with small walks and go from there.
Maybe you want to loose weight. Decide on the amount you want to drop and do a little each day to get there.
Perhaps you just want to get stronger and put on some lean muscle mass. Then start putting your workout routine together and stick to it.
The point is by setting the goal you have something to shoot for. When you hit it you can decide if you just want to maintain or continue to go forward and build onward and upward.
Before you know it, by setting a goal you will be putting together a program that works for your particular needs. The same way I put together a program that works for me, you’ll have one that fits you just right.
Surround Yourself With Positive People And You’ll Find Your Physical Fitness Motivation
This one often takes care of itself. Since I was a kid, any kind of exercise is more fun with friends. I find participating in sporting or fitness activities is always a little more productive with people who want to achieve the same results as you.
Doing things to stay active with others doesn’t always feel like work. It tends to go faster and feels more like recreation. Maybe not always, especially if you’re running marathons together, but you get my drift.
Obviously not everyone is as interested or focused as you. Everybody is moving along at their own levels. But its way easier when others are encouraging you to stick with your program than to dump it.
Find those who want to see you do well and keep them close. Even if they’re not exercising with you, they’ll cheer you on. Dwayne The Rock Johnson says, along with lots of other great advice, “you’re hardest competition is always going to be you.”
It’s a reminder that your health and fitness goals are a personal and solo endeavor. True. It’s also good to have a solid support system. Especially when starting out.
Change Up Your Environment
Something that I do to maintain my physical fitness motivation is to mix it up. I’ve mentioned exercises like push ups, the plank, high knees and some others that are great for warming up or as exercises on their own.
The other great thing about them is that you can do them almost anywhere. Of course there are some things that you will do that may require equipment and you’ll have to go where that stuff resides.
Not a problem. Just make a point of doing the other stuff in other places sometimes. When the weather gets nice, find a park where you can do some of your exercises.
Sometimes I’ll do part of my workout at home and the rest somewhere outside. If you can’t stay outside, find a public rec center that you can use. If you can’t do that, find a friend or family member who will let you use their place for an hour. You just might motivate them to get healthy.
The point is by changing up your environment you keep the routine from getting stale. And feeling less like a… routine. Exercising outside and mixing with nature has a ton of benefits including boosting endorphin levels and dopamine production which in turn promotes happiness.
Bet you never thought working out could make you so happy!
Once I started a regular routine I motivated myself by remembering how much better I feel on days I exercise versus days I don’t.
That’s all I got for now. I imagine I’ll update this as I get more suggestions. In the meantime I hope this gives you some ideas to keep at it.
