Key to Motivation
Are you having trouble getting motivated to get off the couch or take that first step to starting to be active and improve your health and wellbeing?
I think we all know that it is hard to start something new or get back into a routine that we may have once had. That’s where motivation is a big factor in what we do. The fact is some people are highly motivated and some people lack motivation when it comes to being physically active.
There are many factors and barriers that explain the different levels of motivation each individual has and by looking at these we can try and change the way all currently live our lives.
Factors that can motivate people to getting fit and healthy:
- It’s fun and enjoyable
- Feeling of success and achievement
- Constant support
- Body image
- Quality of life
- Improved wellbeing
- Social interactions
- Approval from family and friends
- Group support
- Effective encouragement
- Reduce the likely-hood of medical problems
- Results!
Some barriers that some people may need to overcome towards getting fit and healthy are:
- Lack of support
- Access to fitness resources
- Expectations
- Self-confidence
- Previous experiences
- Lack of time
- Inconvenience
- Medical reasons
- Bored
- Lack of progress
To overcome these barriers and get you in the right mind set to get active, there are many ways you can go about finding the motivation you need.
Set goals
Goal setting is a fantastic way to set out what you want to achieve and the results you are looking for. You may have an ultimate goal you want to achieve over a certain period so by setting smaller goals within your main goal you can set out a plan that you can follow that will keep you on track to achieving the goal. Make sure you goals are realistic and be sure to keep track of your progress so you can look back and re-evaluate your goals if necessary if your not getting the results your after. This will provide you with the energy and enthusiasm and a purpose for the result you are after and there is nothing better than the way you will be feeling once you achieve it!
A fitness contract
Write down on a piece of paper what you want to be doing and how you want to go about it. Then get one of your closest friends, a family member or one of the fitness coaching programs specialists – so they can help you commit to it. Once you have this contract clearly written out, along with your goals your aiming for, place the contract on your fridge or in a place that you frequently spend time at each day as a reminder of the goals you are wanting to achieve. By having the contract visible and committing to someone close to you, it can be a really powerful way to provide that extra push you may need to not feel like you are letting someone else down and most of all not letting yourself down.
Social Influences
This can really assist with you level of motivation. Try surrounding yourself with positive people who will support you and motivate you to keep going. Having this extra support gives you the feeling that people want you to succeed.
Find solutions
You may think of 100 reasons why you think can’t train, but how many of those reason are really valid? Take out a piece of paper and write down your excuses, and then once you have come up with you list I want you to go through each of them and write down a possible solution to eliminate that excuse. Write down the problem eg: “I don’t have time to exercise because I work all day” – Solution: get a FitnessTrainer to come during my lunch break for a session. There are means and ways around getting motivated to do physical activity, the reality is that we all need to do it to live our lives to the fullest.
Prioritise your life
One of the most common excuses for not exercising is ”I don’t have the time too’, but to be honest I don’t think I am yet to meet a person that could not find 30mins-1 hour three or four times a week to look after themselves. There is 168 hours a week and you honestly can’t manage a few hours to keep yourself healthy? I’m sure if you were to list the 5 most important things in your life right now, you health and your families health would be high on the list, watching television or using the computer would not be, but I’m sure a lot of people spend plenty of time a week doing that.
Have A Motivator That Works For You?
What keeps you going on those days that you’d rather sit on the couch than workout? Perhaps what motivates you will work for someone else. Please share.
