It starts with excitement, motivation and desire. You start to feel good inside because you are thinking about it. Great! Step one achieved!
Now what? How do you get to step two, three and so on? How do you turn that excitement, enthusiasm and desire into something doable?
It’s March and Spring is basically here. For some of us it’s here almost all year long and for others it may come a little bit later despite what the calendar says. Therefore, living in Florida is so sweet! What this means is, the weather is gorgeous, with temperatures just the way most of us like it. It’s a great time to be outside and soak up some natural vitamin D from the sun. This is the useless information that you already know!
How many times since January have you told yourself, “I’m going to start working out or losing weight?” Yes, I lost count how many times you said it too but that’s ok. Every day is a fresh start and so the proverbial clock begins once again. You probably had some very valid reasons or excuses for not taking care of yourself. Let’s assume they were reasons and not excuses. Can you honestly change one or two things in your daily plans that will allow yourself, ME time? It doesn’t have to be every day.
Failure to succeed, is probably one of the biggest reasons why people who want to get healthy, hold off doing it.
Don’t get me wrong here. It’s not that people don’t want to get healthy or find a way to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle. It’s not knowing where to begin that creates the failure long before it begins. And if you do find your beginning, you find yourself not sticking with it for any length of time. I’ll give you an example.
Mary decides she wants to lose 25 pounds, she goes out and buys herself a few cute workout outfits, does her research on wearable technology (fitness tracker) and buys that too. She decides to start walking because she hasn’t exercised in years and doesn’t feel sure of herself or what else to do yet. She starts going for a mile walk every day, seven days a week. Hooray for Mary! That’s great! A month has gone by, she’s been keeping track on her fitness tracker, she started eating better and she hasn’t lost a pound. Now Mary is very disappointed with herself and says, “why bother”.
What is Mary missing here?
For starters, she is relying on her fitness tracker to validate her routine. Second, Mary didn’t bother to look at what might be other positives. She can now breath better because all that walking actually helped her to take deeper breaths and she isn’t as tired as before. See, her fitness tracker won’t tell her that. I love fitness trackers too! They are a great tool, but that’s what they are, a tool! So, what can Mary do that will turn her feelings of failure into something better and revive her motivation?
Think outside the box. In the example of Mary, she can use the fitness tracker and all the apps she can load with it. Like I said, they are a great tool. But she needs a few more tools in her healthy box. She would do well by adding a new perspective, create a short term and long-term goal. She could add a fitness coach, someone who will help her, give her guidance and direction towards her goal. Get in touch with a nutritionist who can explain in greater detail the difference between good and bad foods for her body type or her specific goals. Seek out a friend or family member to exercise with or go on those daily walks. The two can create a bit of friendly competition to help motivate. These are just a few things to add to the healthy tool box. There isn’t a cookie cutter version that works for everyone.
How to do you stay excited and keep motivation to work out?
For one, stop looking at how much weight you are or are not losing. Look for other signs like how you feel physically. Notice that you can climb stairs without huffing and puffing. See how you can get off the floor without a helping hand from someone else or a piece of furniture. Feeling good is a great motivator, almost as good as your coach telling you what a great job you’re doing and how you are improving. Everyone wants and needs instant gratification but we can’t always have it. It may take 3 times of working out to see just a small difference but instantly you should notice how you feel mentally. There is no better “high” in life than moving your body. And I don’t mean moving from your desk chair to the fax machine.
If working out is boring or routine to the point that you feel you can teach it, then you might not be having much fun.
Everyone likes to be challenged, even if just a little. Sure, at first you may think, “omg, I can’t do that”, and fear rears its ugly head. But then once you learn something new and realize that not only is it doable but you enjoyed it, your thoughts change and you want to do it again and again! That’s where the fun is. And of course, it helps if your coach is making it fun by motivating you to strive to be the best that you can be without being a drill Sargent.
As a fitness coach, I encourage people to challenge themselves and do what feels comfortable for themselves. Anyone you work with should encourage you, help you to create a positive experience and most assuredly make sure you are having fun! Having fun while working out equals consistent motivation. Motivation creates results and that’s what you are ultimately looking to achieve, right!?
Remember folks, my motto is and always has been, “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong!’ Get out there, soak up that vitamin D and Get Fit Inside & Out!