Wellness/Motivation
So you had to take a few days off from your workout for whatever reason, and now you can’t get back in the groove of regular exercise. Or you are working out consistently and eating healthy, but are getting discouraged because you can’t see the results of your hard work. If you need a little more motivation to get you up off that couch and moving, here are some tips from other active adults. So read, learn, and then get your move on.
BOOSTER #1: DO IT FOR YOU. The more you exercise to get rid of guilt, or to please others, the less you will get out of it and the less likely you are to stick with it. Think about how great you feel after a tough workout, or remind yourself that exercise is your time to give back to your body that has done so much for you. And most of all, you deserve to take a little time to do something just for you.
BOOSTER #2: SET A GOAL. Goals are great motivators but make sure they are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) Setting the goal of “I want to be skinny in 6 monthes” doesn’t carry as much oomph as “I want to fit into a size 10 jeans in 6 weeks.” but don’t stop there. Form a plan of how you will achieve this. “I will reach my goal by coming to my sessions three times a week, and walking on my off days.” For more help with setting goals and a plan of action to reach them, talk to your trainer.
BOOSTER #3: TOSS YOUR SCALE. Measure your achievement by how your clothes fit, your inches, and how you feel. Research suggests that post-exercise, you feel smaller even though the scale won’t immediately back you up, so waiting and waiting for that magic number can be discouraging. When you challenge your body, you benefit from and improved mood and sense of mastery, which is a major player in body image. And remember, muscle weighs more than fat. So while you can be burning fat and building muscle, the scale might not budge.
BOOSTER #4: MAKE A “FRIENDLY” BET. Challenge someone you know to a contest- first one to drop 15 pounds, run a 6 minute mile, or bench press 200 pounds, whatever. Here’s the fun part: you decide who you challenge, so before you go running to your best friend, consider challenging your nemisis. We all have someone, an idea-stealing coworker, or an intrusive neighbor, that we would love to stick it to (in spirit, of course) so ask them if they are interested. Competition is a great motivator, but we tend to lose that powerful drive when we are with friends or people we care about. Keeping it strictly business will help keep you on track and ensure you give it your all.
BOOSTER #5: FIND A SUPPORT GROUP ONLINE. Surrounding yourself with people with similar goals and attitudes can be very inspiring. You can find fitness or nutrition message boards, blogs (like this one!) or websites everywhere and they are full of inspiration from men and women who have a achieved their goals or are working towards them. Don’t be afraid to post questions or suggestions, you would be amazed at how supportive and thoughtful strangers can be.
BOOSTER #6: DON’T DO WHAT YOU HATE. If you start to dread your workout, switch it up. Sick of the treadmill? Ride the bike or jump rope. Just don’t feel like busting out those reps at the gym? Take the kids to the park and play right a long with them. Do pullups on the monkey bars or play a good old fashioned game of tag. Workouts should be fun and making a change every so often will actually jump start your body. Bottom line: If you are sick of your routine, find a new one.
BOOSTER #7: GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS. On days when you don’t feel like coming to your session or going to the gym, make the only requirment that you perform one set of you favorite exercise. In most cases, just getting to the gym is the hardest part, and once you start, you will finish. And if you get there and still don’t feel like being there, do some stretches and head home. You’ll feel much better about having gone than if you hadn’t, and instead of a missed workout, you’ll just have a few gaps in your workout log.
