Exercise: Finding the Motivation to Stay Fit
My friend and colleague Angie Schumacher is back with another guest post on finding our motivation to keep exercising. I love her 5 tips below for getting and staying in the exercise zone. Read on and get inspired. Learn more about Angie, join her Fit Chick Express community and get into action at http://fitchickexpress.ning.com/.
What is the single most reason my clients come to me for my group fitness classes or individual training? MOTIVATION, or should I say lack of it!
We all seem to lack motivation from time to time, even I have trouble staying motivated at times. It’s very easy to just ‘fall off the wagon’ and get back into our bad habits. It’s always easier to do nothing but sit around watching TV or to order out or make a meal from a box. It’s just easier…and that’s why we go back to it.
So what things do I suggest to my clients that will make it worth it to stay motivated? Here are some ideas to get you started or get back on the right track. Remember, sometimes all you need to do is take baby steps…
1. Set a goal. Just one goal. Set a deadline for that goal and when you achieve it, set another…remember, I said baby steps. By setting a goal, you know in your head what it is that you want. You should put it down on paper and read it daily and maybe even a couple times a day. Put it where you can see it and remember why you have that goal. Eventually it will be a part of you and all you will be able to think about is achieving that goal!
2. Set a Reward. How do you want to reward yourself when you reach that goal? A new outfit? A new hairstyle or some new jewelry? A skimpy little bikini? Whatever it may be, make sure it’s something special, not something you do for yourself all the time.
3. Find a “workout buddy”. Do you have a friend that lacks motivation as well? Get together and plan times during the week to workout or help each other plan meals for the week ahead. Knowing that if you don’t meet your friend, you will let them down is a great way to stay motivated! Join a group fitness class with a friend! It’s always harder to skip a class if you know the other members are going to ask you were you have been!
4. Don’t give up. If you feel yourself slipping or you do slip, don’t have the ‘all or nothing’ attitude. Just because you had a piece of chocolate cake after you promised yourself you wouldn’t is no reason to eat the whole cake! Move on…promise yourself you will do better tomorrow.
5. Always be positive! This one can be one of the hardest things to do. I am always making my clients tell me something positive after they come to me and tell me all the negative things that have happened in the past few days. If you didn’t reach your specific goal that you set, look at what other accomplishments you have made in that time period. There is always something that you can find that was positive about what you have done, so think about that and not about what you didn’t do.
What things do you do to stay motivated? What keeps you from slipping up and moving forward and eventually reaching those goals?
Filed under: Exercise, Motivation
I think this post is really a motivation and empowering women not to lose hope to stay fit and healthy.