Exercise Motivation

Imagine how you would feel if motivation was coursing through your veins each day when it was time to exercise? Wouldn’t you have a better attitude? A better outlook? An easier time working on your goals?

Personally, when I am in an intense fitness cycle, I feel like a million bucks and the world is my oyster.  When I’ve missed, then not so much.  I too struggle with motivating myself to get my daily dose of sweat, but I have to say for at least a decade I’ve gotten at least some form of exercise at least 3 times a week.

Motivation is an important part of any exercise program. It is critical to your success, but before getting into the specific techniques that you need, you should consider some groundwork. One setback that will destroy your motivation for fitness is an injury. Therefore you need to take a few simple steps to make sure you prepare for your session.

Stretching - Take time for a good stretch before you do any working out. By stretching you decrease the possibility of hurting yourself. The payoff for stretching is an increased range of motion in joints and muscles, increased flexibility and overall better performance. Plus, it’s not that difficult to do. You can stretch in front of a TV or while chatting with someone.

Warm up – Don’t forget to do a good warm up before you work out by performing the specific exercise with at least half the intensity you would normally. An example would be the runner who walks the first 5 minutes. Improper warm up can cause muscle tears, tendon pulls, or even ligament damage, not to mention major muscle soreness. This can decrease your motivation because it causes pain. Forget the old “No pain no gain”. In the beginning it should be “Less pain, more gain!in motivation.”

Take a day off – People who weight train seldom train the same muscle groups two days in a row. For years, I have used this as a way to motivate myself. Here’s how it works. One day of exercise and then one day of rest. The day of rest is my vacation from working out. Mentally, I can use the leverage of the vacation day to squeeze more quality exercise from the on day. The vacation day is a benefit and something to look forward to – especially when I am hitting that halfway point in a specific session. “This hurts, but tomorrow I’m free!”

Listen to energizing music - If you are having difficulty getting out of bed, play some energizing music. Before a work out, it can motivate you. Pick a song that gets you up and going. Many people listen to music during a workout because it helps distract from pain. It is also pleasurable. Plus, if you have the right songs in your play list, music will motivate! (Your music suggestions are welcome).

Cut out fads and quick fixes – The trouble with most fads is they get boring or repetitious. The same can happen with a traditional exercise routine too. However with fads like the bun buster, ab cruncher or other gadgets that promise specific results is you are not getting a total body workout. My college coach was famous for saying “You can’t spot reduce.” That meant you can’t do only crunches to reduce fat in the stomach. You can’t do a bun workout to reduce gluteus fat either.

Physical exercise doesn’t have to be a grueling ordeal. It can be fun. It can be a social outlet and will help build your energy. Just remember not to overdo it in the beginning. Start with where you are now and gradually build up. Take vacations and make it fun.

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