Many people may have the desire to get fit, but acting on those desires is a completely different story. Oftentimes it involves pressing through mental and emotional challenges that can easily put a halt on your fitness goals, sometimes for years. So how is it that some people are able to find the motivation to work out while others do not? And for those that are struggling to find motivation, how can they get it?
The majority of us are passionate about something. Whether it is about our work, our kids, or our hobbies. Hence, there are just going to be some people that have a passion for fitness and are therefore self-motivated to work out. Still, there are many others who need an extra boost.
During my years as a personal trainer, one of the first things I would do with my clients was determine their whys? Why did they want to lose weight, why did they want to gain weight, why did they decide that it was finally time to make a financial investment into a personal trainer? Their reasons varied. To be around longer for their kids, to feel more attractive to their spouse, to gain more energy or to be a smaller size for their upcoming wedding. Despite their reasons, they all had one thing in common when they came to me for assistance – the motivation to want to make a change. Yet still the challenge would become, how to remain motivated.
Here are the top five things that I found that worked best for my clients which can also be applied to anyone who’s interested in becoming more physically fit.
- (1) Take a Picture of yourself and lay it next to an older picture of you when you were smaller or next to a person’s picture whom you aspire to look like
- (2) Get accountability partners. People that can remind you to stay on track when you are tempted to give up.
- (3) Acknowledge and celebrate small successes. Weight loss takes time. Keep in mind that in order to lose one pound, you must have a caloric deficit of approximately 3,500 calories. Meaning that you will need to burn an extra 500 calories per day just to lose one pound. However, exercise and diet changes will get you quicker results.
- (4) Find a physical activity that you will enjoy. Working out in the gym 6 times a week may not be for everyone. Dancing, bicycling, and rollerblading are great options.
- (5) Pull out a favorite outfit from your closet that you have not been able to wear in years and make it a goal to get in it again.
Unless you are on a reality show Like the Biggest Loser, odds are you are not going to be living with a personal training or with a group of people who are collectively trying to lose weight. However this does not mean that you should neglect your fitness goals, rather, you just have to become more creative in your approach.
Contributor Renna Reddick is a certified nutrition specialist, personal trainer and group fitness instructor. Certifications include: National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Federation of Personal Trainers (NFPT) and Aerobics, Fitness Association of America (AFAA) Group Fitness Instruction, and NFPT Nutrition Specialist
