Hi everyone, your average fitness enthusiast is back again. I love fitness and wanted to share more about what I think most people go through when starting their fitness journey. Even from people who love fitness and workout on a regular basis, I hear this question all the time, “How do you stay motivated?”
People wonder where the motivation comes from to go to the gym multiple times a week, to eat right, or to do cardio on a consistent basis. Being motivated is not as simple as the desire to lose 20, 30, or 100 pounds or more. Barring a doctor’s order to lose a certain amount of weight, which is a completely different type of situation that I am not qualified to speak on, motivation to pursue a life of fitness typically requires a deeper than surface reason.
If all that is driving someone to get into shape is the promise of losing a certain amount of weight or being able to fit into a new or old outfit, the probability of failure to reach the desired goal is much higher. The reason is that fitness requires hard work, dedication, and commitment. To accomplish a fitness goal, a person will have to work out on days when they may not feel like working out. Every person will have days when soreness sets in, their body feels like it does not want to move, and the last thing they want to do is lift another weight or run another mile. However, when this situation arises, we all have a choice. Do we sit at home relaxing on the couch or do we go to the gym and crush another workout?
How does one decide on a consistent basis that pushing through is worth it? The answer comes back to the underlying reason any person starts their fitness journey. I will admit I started with a pretty shallow dream of six pack abdominals. I wanted a washboard stomach with the abdominals I see on television. However, it did not take me long to realize that goal would not keep me coming back to the gym. I decided pretty early on I wanted to be healthy and would do whatever it took. I was tired of going to the doctor and the doctor saying, “Your blood pressure is too high…” or getting on the scale and the doctor saying, “You are overweight…” One of the worst reports I received from the doctor was the diagnosis of kidney stones. The last reason listed was a good motivator to have an increased interest in diet. I will have to go over a change in diet philosophy later. My advice is that a good nutritionist is a good investment and worth the money.
The point of all this is to say my reason for a love for fitness and motivation to go to the gym is much deeper than just a desire to look good or have muscles. The truth is that I do not work out now because I desire to have more muscle or have better abdominals. I work out because I desire to be healthy and want to live a long life. I am motivated by the fact that if I am doing everything that I can to keep myself healthy, then my body should respond accordingly.
A person needs to have something greater inside that motivates them to keep pushing. Each person needs to find that thing that is important to them that will motivate them to keep going. For some people, the motivating factor is they want to be around for their kids or spouse. For others, maybe they internally love the challenge. Whatever the reason, the reason will be enough to motivate the person to get up and go further, whether they feel like it or not.
The question now is what is your reason? What can you find inside that will motivate you when you have an overpowering desire to quit and give up? Once you determine what that reason is, motivation will never be a problem again. You might be the sorest you have ever been, but instead of making an excuse, you will make the decision keep reaching for that next goal. I believe that inside you there is something that will give you all the motivation you need. Let’s get motivated and start moving toward a healthier you today.
