Do you feel like you have lost your exercise mojo? No longer are you jumping out the bed at 5am to get in that workout or remembering to take your gym bag to work? You keep making excuses after excuses. What the heck is going on? What is demotivating you?
Motivation isn’t something that just happens to you, but something you create for yourself. Exercise may be all about moving the body, but you won’t get anywhere until you move your mind first. Reflecting on your mental exercise blocks is all well and good but, while you’re chewing on that, why not take small steps towards a more active lifestyle? You don’t have to turn your whole life upside down. Here are a few tips to keep exercise on the front burner!
1. Just accept it–you have to exercise. There ain’t a pill, diet or nip & tuck that can take the place of being active. Embracing this fact can make doing it a little easier and, the good news is, you’ve got options. Exercise doesn’t have to happen in a gym or take up hours of your time. Knowing you can create your own exercise experience may help you get up and get moving.
2. Make exercise mean something to you. For many people, exercise is a means to an end — a way to lose weight and get that perfect body…or at least a better one than they have now. Future goals are nice, but there’s another part to the equation that, when missing, makes exercise hard to stick to: Purpose. In other words, your workouts need to have value, regardless of whether you ever reach your desired goal. Always working for some future, intangible thing isn’t enough – we need it to mean something now.
So, what does exercise mean to you besides a way to lose weight? Is there any value, outside of your weight loss goals, to working out? For me, exercise means 2 main things: first, exercise is a way of life for like taking a shower, like eating, like drinking water, etc. I am a warrior, and training is a warrior's job, a lifetime's job.....I will train till I die.....and that's the bottom line...and secondly, exercise guarantees that I look good naked! For you, exercise might be the only time you get to yourself each day. Find your own value and meaning and you’ll find your motivation.
3. Do what works for you. Too often, the mainstream idea of exercise involves things like health clubs, cardio machines, fitness classes, etc. You can’t get motivated to do something you don’t like. The good news is that you have the freedom to do whatever the heck you want. If you hate the gym, don’t join one then. If you hate boring machines, try something more interactive like a game of tag football, spin class, or race up stairs with your boo:-) If you like to keep things simple, you could take several walks throughout the day or add some laps the next time you shop at the mall. Find out what you like and throw the rules out the window!
4. Identify the excuses you like to use and have a ready made response. If time is an issue, make sure your workout clothes are ready to go. If you have young children, get a good jogging stroller or set up a babysitting swap with other parents in your neighborhood: you can watch their children while they work out and vice versa. Don’t know where to start, hire a fitness professional. They will help you get a solid program in place that fits your lifestyle and is excuse proof!
5. Stop trying to fall in love with exercise. Some people think if they exercise long enough, they’ll wake up one day and suddenly LOVE exercising and eating healthy. While it does get easier, you’ll always have to find ways to motivate yourself for your workouts. If you’re waiting for a shining moment of excitement, you might be waiting for a long time:-)
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