How to get motivated
Motivation is an area a lot of people struggle with and a lot of the time it is down to poor management of their lifestyle juggling work and social life, healthy eating, sleep times etc. So personal trainer Anthony Mayatt @BreatheFitPT (Owner of Breathe Fitness) will share some pointers on how to get motivated and keep it there in the long term.
People who exercise regularly rarely need the motivation to workout. It has got to a point where heading to the gym or going out for a run is just habit as it has been embedded into a routine. At the other end of the scale you have people who exercise but need some way to get the motivation to do it in the first place.
Identify a cue
This is basically what gets you exercising in the first place. As an example for people that smoke, the cue is a moment of stress or meeting up with certain people and the brain tells the person a cigarette is needed. I don't want to go off the subject but in terms of helping people quitting smoking you need to identify the cues and create new ones to the point the brain sends a different message for something that can replace a cigarette. When a moment of stress arises listen to a certain song or go to the gym to get the hormones pumping that will reduce the need to smoke. These take time but once the brain gets used to a new signal then it becomes habit.
What cues can motivate you to exercise?
- Change in your health
- Change in friend or family members health
- New offer at local gym
- Sports team you like nearby etc.
There are many cues that will be personal to you so identify them and then write them down.
Rewards
This is an important point and it goes hand in hand with identifying a cue above. Going back to the smoking point you have the cue which is a moment of stress so the brain says you need to smoke. The reward you get out of it is that feeling like the cigarette has helped even though we all know it actually just makes you worse.
So you want to exercise and you know what your cue is, the reward is what you get out of it in the end and it may be that you know by exercising you are making yourself healthier each day, it could be that you treat yourself to a salad from your favourite cafe after etc. It basically means by motivating yourself to exercise and then actually doing it you know there is a reward at the end. My reward is that there is a certain protein shake I love to drink and I will always take it to the gym with me as I know once I have worked out I have that to look forward to at the end.
Write down goals long and short term
This is simple yet so effective and more people need to do it. It is one thing to have an idea in your head what your goals are but writing them down allows you to physically see them and keep track of how you are getting on while trying to achieve them. As an example you have a long term goal of lose 5kg by the end of the year. Short term set a target of 1 pound a week or something along those lines then the goal will feel easier to reach giving you more motivation to stick to your long term plan.
Make a weekly plan
Another simple way to increase your motivation. Research has shown that more people stick to a plan when they write down their goals for the week ahead. Choose a day where you can write down what days and times you are going to exercise. This way you can prepare for it and look forward to it rather than wake up and suddenly realise that its gym day, more people skip it when it is like that. Over time as it becomes more of a habit you will go to the gym or exercise on these days/times without ever having to think about it.
Lastly and it is a repetition but it is that important I want it to be the last thing I want you to think about so if you only take one thing from this article then it is this.
Always focus on what you want to get out of exercising in the first place
Are you going on holiday in a few weeks but woken up tired so thinking of skipping the gym? Focus on that holiday and think about why you are exercising, your goals. Having that planted in your head will keep you motivated and stop the lazy unmotivated person creeping out.
Now drop and give me 20 :-)
Anthony Mayatt
Owner/Personal Trainer
Breathe Fitness
@BreatheFitPT
