How to get motivated to workout
Why Do you need to be motivated?
Motivational speaking generates nearly $2B in revenue annually. The motivational industry as a whole (books, speeches, videos, etc.) is nearly 5 times that. Clearly the need to be motivated is high.
But, have you ever considered that it may not be necessary to be motivated in the first place? It may seem counterintuitive but as you read below it may begin to make more sense.
Types of motivation
There are two main types of motivation: Intrinsic and Extrinsic
INTRINSIC:
According to Oxford Intrinsic motivation is: An incentive to do something that arises from factors within the individual, such as a need to feel useful or to seek self-actualization.
In other words, being motivated by something within because it feels good to do so. An example of intrinsic motivation in regards to working out would be to workout because it provides anxiety relief.
Exercising can be a great way to clear your head and relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can also be a form of mediation which has a multitude of benefits in itself.
EXTRINSIC:
According to Oxford Extrinsic motivation is: An incentive to do something that arises from factors outside the individual, such as rewards or penalties.
This means that there is some external source of motivation driving the effort being put forth towards it. An example of an extrinsic motivating factor would be to lose 50lb to look good for the summer.
The truth about motivation
While motivation is a great tool to help accomplish goals, it is not necessary. Both intrinsic and extrinsic forms of motivation have their place but ultimately they are not enough.
For the extrinsic goal above of losing 50lb by summer, once that goal is achieved, then what? After the weight is lost, there is no more motivation to continue exercising. You must then force yourself to maintain the weight lost, which doesn’t sound very motivating.
Intrinsic motivation in theory sounds like it would at least continue to thrive a little longer, but it is not the case. Doing something because you love doing it doesn’t necessarily always workout either.
Imagine this: you love to eat chocolate cake. If someone told you that you had to eat chocolate cake everyday for the rest of your life and nothing else, does that sound appealing?
At first it may seem fun and exciting but eventually there will come a time when you are sick of eating chocolate cake.
Working out is no different. You may fall in love with working out but that alone is not enough either. There will be days when you are stressed and working late. Sleepless nights from raising children. Injuries, aches, pains, illness, the list goes on…
Creating the habit to workout is fairly challenging for most and it doesn’t take much to derail that habit and fall back into old bad habits.
So, what do you do?
Make a promise to yourself: my health is one of the most important aspects in my life. As long as I am able to, I must do everything I can to remain as healthy as I can.
As mentioned above, motivation runs out. The reality is that most times you will find that getting motivated is preceded by action.
Once you get going, you start to see results or feel better and then the motivation follows. Willpower is what will keep you going when you feel like you want to give up. Raise your standards and hold yourself accountable when you slip up.
Those speed bumps are going to come up at every corner, just remember it is better to slow down than to stop altogether. Collect yourself and begin back on the path you set out to achieve.
If you need help getting motivated to workout, read below. We would love to help you achieve your goals and create a sustainable healthy lifestyle!
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