Motivation

I've been thinking a lot lately about what motivates us to achieve our fitness goals.  For me, seeing results was incredibly motivating.  Now I continue to be motivated by things I see others doing.  My runner friends are FAST; I want to be fast too, which motivates me to train.  I think we are all motivated by different things which means my method of hanging the smaller sized jeans I wanted to fit into where I would see them easily wouldn't work for someone else.  I put the question of motivation out there into social media to see what response I would get.

It seems many of you are bothered by what you see in the mirror.  To this I refer you  here.  You must start loving what you've been given in order for it work for you.  My body and I didn't get along.  I put gross food into it and never appreciated it.  Not a day goes by that I don't give thanks to my body for carrying me through the day, through workouts, and through this journey I call life.  My other pinch of advice (you're here, you must want a little) is to use the mirror as motivation.  Prove the mirror wrong; show it that you CAN and WILL change the reflection.  Start now.

The other problem with motivation seems to be the workout.  What's going on there, folks?  Have you not found something that you don't consider torture?  I hate the treadmill.  Hate.  So I never, ever touch it.  I have all the motivation in the world to work out, but still won't touch a treadmill.  I've found other things that I like that give me amazing results. You can do this, too. Experiment.  Most fitness studios and gyms will let you pay for one class at a time.  When you find something you love, I guarantee it will keep you wanting more. Wanting more is excellent motivation.

We all seem to need some level of support system.  Whether it's someone to keep you from eating cookies on the couch, push you to run that last quarter mile, go to a class, or log your food.  We need our friends.  Find the people who will continue to encourage, lose the ones that don't.  Don't be afraid to ask someone to be your partner in accountability.  Ultimately, you need to find motivation on your own to empower yourself.  I don't especially enjoy running alone; but I do enjoy running.  My running partner has a busy life and can't always run with me.  I had no choice but to run alone.  My motivation there is my love of running and to prove that I can do it alone. As it turns out, I can run alone; I don't like it but I still get it done.   Challenge yourself; I promise you'll like it!

I'm giving you homework this time.  Think about what motivates you; embrace that and find a way to make it work for you.  Share your success stories with others.  Give a push to someone that may or may not need it. Tell someone they look great.  Try something new.  Stop being afraid.  Be grateful.  Get moving.  You can do it!