We
’ve all done it. Found ways of avoiding exercise. However, we
all also know that once we get the workout started (and finished),
we will feel so much better.
We’ve all done it. Found ways of avoiding exercise. However, we all also know that once we get the workout started (and finished), we will feel so much better.
Over the years, I have experienced people using many different ways of motivating themselves to push further than they had originally planned. Even the best of us need that occasional inspiration.
For example, there are times when I am doing my own workout, and I decide I’m going to 30 minutes. When I get to that time, I tell myself that I’m going to do five more minutes because “what’s five more minutes in the span of my whole life?” When those five minutes is completed, I tell myself the same thing again. I keep doing this until I have exercised for at least 45 minutes.
Personal goals play a large part in motivation. For instance, I have known men who want to increase their muscle mass. With this aspiration in mind, they push themselves to do “just one more rep” or “just a little more weight.”
Special occasions are also a great motivator. I see people come into the gym constantly who have “reasons” to reach particular goals, i.e. class reunions, weddings, vacations etc. Many of these goals are short term, but the motivation is still strong. We think in terms of looking better, stronger, and more confident specifically for these events, especially if we are going to see people we haven’t seen in a long time. Once the event is over, the motivation wanes. If this is the case, then many of us look to other upcoming events to keep our minds on the task of exercising.
Many of us also need to motivate ourselves to exercise for health reasons. Even though physical activity is deemed necessary for a better quality of life, we don’t always want to do it. So we tell ourselves it’s for other reasons.
Excuses run rampant in the exercise world. The underlying reasons for doing it may be as different as the people making the justifications. And everybody makes them. It’s the way they break through these plateaus via their individual mind games that determine how successful they will be in their exercise programs.
Karen Frost is the Wellness Director for Gold’s Gym of Morgan Hill. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Physical Education from New York University, and is certified by the American Council on Exercise as a Personal Trainer and a Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant.
