Be Inspired!

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to talk to you about using inspiration as motivation.  Everyone needs a little push from time to time to keep themselves motivated and to stay on track to achieve their fitness goals.  One great way of doing this is to be inspired by someone else who can push you along.  Whether it is someone who has already achieved similar goals, someone who looks up to you, or a person who energizes you, having someone to inspire you is a great way to stay motivated and will help you reach your goals.

Chuck is someone I see at the gym on a regular basis.  Although he doesn’t train with me, he does like to ask me for advice every so often.  He comes to me for two reasons, first is because I train clients similar in age and body type as he is, and second because he respects what I personally do.  Chuck will watch and ask about certain exercises I do with my clients and then he incorporates them into his own work out.  He sees the results of my clients, and then is inspired to do the same things.  Chuck also gets inspired by my own personal workouts.  He once mentioned to me that he notices that when I exercise I use perfect form.  After I explained to him the importance that using proper form has, he was then inspired to clean up his own form.  But Chuck also inspires me.  Maybe it is his attempt to give back to me, but while I am working out, he will sometimes tell me to get one or two more reps during a set; or if I just finished a set he will tell me he thought I could've gotten two reps.  And that inspires me on my next set.  I want to get as many reps that Chuck thought I could…and maybe even one more than that.

In a very similar way, knowing that you are inspiring to someone else can help motivate you as well.  It makes me think of the saying “I want to be the person that my dog thinks I am.”  While a

pet might not consider your health habits, there are people who probably do.  The Jr. High students I teach Health Ed. to are often under the impression that I have the most flawless, healthy diet.  They are often shocked when they see me at a school event enjoying a dessert.  When I think about them when I am making a food choice it inspires me to eat healthier.  My food choice will be inspired by whether or not I think it fits their image.  You can look for someone in your life who is inspired by you to inspire you.  If you have children of your own they are also good sources of this type of inspiration.

One other way you might find inspiration from others to stay motivated is via significant others.  Whether trying to show an ex that they’ve made a mistake, or wanting to impress a potential date, or show your spouse that you’ve “still got it”, by keeping them in mind while exercising at the gym or making a food choice can help to inspire you to do that extra set and / or rep and make the healthiest food choice. 

With the billions of people in the world, it should be easy to find at least one to help inspire you to be your fittest.  Inspiration comes in different forms, and people can be inspiring for different reasons.  Whether the inspiration comes from someone that has achieved similar goals, someone who looks up to you, or someone that you want to impress, that extra motivation can go a long way to working harder and making better food choices.  Finding someone to be inspired by can be the motivation that pushes you to a fit new you!