The #1 question I am asked about my fitness is “How do you stay motivated?”. I never really know how to answer this question. It’s been a long time since I’ve really thought about my training.
It’s just something I do, just like brushing my teeth in the morning. Am I really motivated to brush my teeth? That’s not the word I would use to describe why I do it, but I suppose I must be motivated to have healthy teeth.
But mainly, it’s a habit. Something I just do, whether I feel like it or not. And that’s how I feel about exercise.
Obviously, it wasn’t always like that. After college I took a long break from exercise in any form. I tried to start up many times, then quit after a couple of weeks. Until finally, I found my motivation to stick with it long enough to make it a habit.
For me, the motivation came from the recognition of the fact that I no longer had the athletic body of my youth. The day I looked in the mirror and realized that I didn’t even recognize the face looking back at me was the day I decided to take charge.
For others, it can be a visit to the doctor’s office. So many of the ailments we suffer can be controlled, if not cured, by exercise and diet.
The key is to find your own reason. It doesn’t have to be important to anyone but you. But it has to be important enough to keep you going, even when you don’t feel like it. Finding someone to help keep you accountable can help for those days, too (my husband would remind me of my goals when it seemed like I wasn’t going to get up for the gym). And make sure you’re setting small goals that are achievable (see this article for tips on this).
Then just keep on going until you, too no longer need to think about whether or not you’re going to exercise. You just do it!
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