Leif Writes:
“Do you have any suggestions to get motivated? There are things I
need and want to do and I get to the point of frustration that I’m not
doing them. The difficulty I am having is to get over the wall and
start doing them (usual story: laziness, depression, etc)”
A few things stick out to me with regards to your question when you comment about laziness and depression. “Laziness” can be a symptom of depression. Since I am not a doctor you might want to touch base with your physician to make sure there isn’t a physical problem such as an overactive Thyroid or some other ailment.
With that said, it would be my recommendation to tackle both laziness and the depression at the same time. As you make progress, your attitude will improve, your ability to get things done will improve and your overall success rate will improve.
So first, the laziness. Laziness can’t be eliminated on demand. It is useless for me or anyone else to say “just motivate yourself! Get off your butt!” No, like any other goal we want to achieve, it is best to start with something you can do today and then build on it.
Since you mentioned depression, if your doctor has given you the go ahead, I would highly recommend you set an aerobic fitness goal for the next 8 weeks. You will need to word your goal the way you find makes the most sense to you. But what I am thinking a good goal for you to work up to is at least 4 days a week of aerobic exercise lasting 30 minutes each session.
Have you ever heard of a “lazy runner” or a “lazy aerobics instructor”? Probably not…there is a reason for that.
Not knowing your fitness level, you may need to start out at 10-15 minutes per session. Don’t overdo it – or strain. Just shoot for the 8 week goal. When you reach the 8th week, you’ll be able to do a solid 30 minutes 4 times per week.
Again, you want for there to be a smooth progression from no-action to a new positive level in your life.
If you can do 20 minutes today and you are straining and out of breath – but you decide to stretch it to 40 minutes, that’s not good. You’ll hate the journey. You won’t want to stick with it. Instead work up gradually – feel the benefits – then you’ll be more likely to stick with it.
I hate to say it, but some people (me included) have to have fitness high on our task and goal lists. You may be one of those people. If I work out 5 days per week, I am unstoppable. If I do only 3, I work at a decent level. If I don’t do any exercise at all, look out! There’s trouble on the horizon.
Leif, you mentioned you are an Achieve-IT! user, so I don’t feel bad telling you to take advantage of the Motivate-Me feature in the software. It is designed to give you a push each day. You can use that to shine new light on your goal and get new ideas to use so you get there. Plus, it won’t let you use the excuse of “forgetting” what you need to do.
All-in-all, becoming motivated is something you can do. You just have to put in work on the front end.
Technorati Tags: goals, motivation, fitness
{ 4 comments }
Thanks Brad,
Some good tips in there. And admittedly, its been a while since I’ve been on the treadmill and seen a doctor.
Brad,
When I was in high school and college I was an avid bodybuilder. I hit the weight room 4 or 5 days a week and was in pretty good shape.
A few years later I hit a rough patch in my life and was feeling pretty low. My mother’s advice was to get back in the gym and get in shape again. It worked! As I got stronger and more toned I started to feel better about life in general. Next thing you know I was doing all sorts of new things and having a great time.
Beyond physical condition and general mental health issues, I often find that ‘laziness’ is an indicator that I actually don’t want to do something. It is wise to take a good look at what you are not doing and determine whether you just think you should be doing it or whether you ‘really’ want to. I’ve found that not much gets in the way of things I really want to do.
i would like to know more info….
more info about??