Your Motivator

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to talk to you about finding your motivator.  Everyone who exercises usually has some goal they are trying to attain or some inspiration to start working out.  Whether it is the New Year, an upcoming wedding with a dress to fit into, a school reunion, or simply to change your health for the better, there is usually a good reason to get started.  And while I often argue that “getting your foot in the door” and taking that first step is usually the hardest obstacle to overcome, for those who have been training, the longer we train something else will come along that wants to slow us down.  And that too comes in different forms, such as fatigue and even boredom.  So there has to be some sort of push, some “kick in the pants” to keep you going.  I call this nudge a MOTIVATOR.  It is especially helpful when its tied directly to your fitness goal.

When I was attending a major fitness convention I knew I would be amongst some of the fittest individuals in the world.  So my goal was to be in the best shape that I was ever in when I attended.  Although I pride myself on being in pretty good shape, I had this extra bit of motivation to keep me going and push me to the next level.  I changed my diet; and when I found it hard to stay on the diet, I just remembered this new goal, being in my best shape ever.  I knew I had to eat better than I ever did in order to meet that goal.  I couldn’t do what I had been doing all along which brought me to my current level, I had to do more to reach the next level.  If I missed a workout during the week for whatever reason, I would do a double workout when I had more time.  I was motivated by the upcoming convention to be in my best shape.  Its often when we have a major event in our life that we can find this motivator to get us up and keep us going.  Like I said before, many people work their hardest at the start of the New Year or, when they have a wedding, vacation, or fitness test coming up.

The motivator can come in other forms too.  Although I don’t find myself to be a particularly vain person, I do love getting compliments on either the fitness shape that I am in, and/or on the intensity of my own work outs.  I work hard in the gym, and who doesn’t like to be complimented when they work hard and it pays off?  Ask any athlete if they feel better after winning a championship.  So now, on a daily basis, when its back to the regular routine and I don’t have anything specific up and coming, I need another motivator.  Now my motivator is to simply get a compliment every time I am working out at the gym.  To help me reach my goal, I know I have to train harder to reach that level.  So I remind myself during each set, when I’m starting to fatigue, to complete another one or two reps by saying to myself “One more for me, and then one more for the compliment.”  I will even make little motivational deals with myself before a set.  I will tell myself, “If I can do X number of pull ups on this set, then I get…”  There is no real reward 99% of the time, but the though is enough motivation for me to work that much harder.  You can do the same thing.  For example, you can envision that extra set dropping your dress size.  Or, that extra day in the gym helps in lowering your cholesterol level by so many points.

Everyone needs some form of motivator.  I would imagine most of us get up and go to work everyday because we are either motivated by the paycheck, or what that paycheck can enable us to do.  Working out is just the same.  You put the time, and energy in, to get something in return.  And exercise as a science adheres to the balance of the fact of what you put in you get out.  Think about that as a motivator when making food choices!  Finding that specific motivator will help you stay on track.  Remaining motivated will help you reach your goals and attain a fit new you!