What motivates you?

thirtysomething

Hi all, back on looking for motivation again.:o

I used the site as a sort of springboard into a better lifestyle earlier this year. It worked and thanks for all your help. I lost weight, lowered my bodyfat % and gained muscle and actually felt good on the beach this summer.

However, My two weeks off in the sun eating and drinking....well, they haven't stopped yet (and I have been home for 7 weeks). I am facing into the winter and would love to be back where I was before my holiday but I am struggling for motivation.

I suppose I am really asking those who eat right, workout all year around. What is it that drives you on, that motivates you? Do you ever fall off the wagon and if so, how do you get on again so quickly?

Dragan

thirtysomething wrote:

I suppose I am really asking those who eat right, workout all year around. What is it that drives you on, that motivates you? Do you ever fall off the wagon and if so, how do you get on again so quickly?

Good question. I think that we are all only human, and go through our stages of an "easier diet" where we allow ourselves to have the odd cheat meal and such.

I haven't fallen off the wagon completely in some time...for me the motivator is seeing the results, and getting better all the time and improving my times, lifts or look.

Eventually i came to see that the long term happiness that comes from the physical improvements i have been chasing really outweight the few mins i might get from eating a takeaway or something.

justsomebloke

what motivates me is the fact that i never again want to be that 16.5 stone tub of lard that I use to be.

also I like trying to be better then I currently am so trying to lift more, run faster for longer


The one thing I would say to you is if you start training now, just think how much fitter looking you will look on the beach next year

thirtysomething

Its amazing that you have gotten to that stage of realisation/motivation. It is true that nothing tastes as good as fit feels (I had a taste this summer). But results only come over time and with lots of effort. What keeps you going to the gym on a daily basis? Is it just pure habit or an iron will?

I'll tell you what stops me (and yes these are the excuses that I give myself!! )

1. I don't get home from work until after 6pm at the earliest.
2. By the time I have dinner/clean up/spend time with the kids it is usually 7:30 - and by then there is always chores that have to be done and I get tired by the time they are done at 9pm ish.
3. Put the kids to bed, read a story.
4. By the time I have the chores done I have talked myself into working out tomorrow night instead.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

quozl

I've no idea how most of the people here do it tbh. The only reason I work out is because running is my hobby and I want to get much less crap at it. And by work out I pretty much just mean run

So my advice would be to try and find a sport you enjoy doing and do that. I find running great in the evenings for relaxing me and you can fit in a very good run,shower+stretch in the time it'd take to watch an hour long tv programme.

I also find having a training schedule really drives me. I don't like missing listed sessions whereas if it's just a general 'run 4 days this week' type thing then it's easy to let them slide. Also set yourself goals. I saw a 7.75k fun-run in may, decided to run that as I was running a little and that has led to other races and longer distances. I ran 20 miles comfortably last saturday and I'll (touch wood) be running the marathon at the end of october.

I'd never have been able to motivate myself with the ridiculous idea of a marathon back in may, but the idea of a roughly 5 mile race was scarey enough to get me to put a bit more effort in. Keep raising the bar you're aiming for at a realistic rate and you'll keep up with it.

If you've never tried running you could give http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml a look. It may be much too easy for you but it's where I started and I think it's a classic.

Obviously I'm just mentioning running as that's what I like, find something yourself, sunday league football, touch rugby, kayaking (I'd recommend it), whatever.

Best of luck.

thirtysomething

Liking working out is a huge advantage.

I can't really work out in the morning because I am up before seven as it is just to get everything done to get out to work and get the kids to school. The only time I seem to have is about 9pm at night and flexible at the weekends.

TerrorFirmer

jsb wrote:

what motivates me is the fact that i never again want to be that 16.5 stone tub of lard that I use to be.

Nail on the head. It's about striving to be better. At this stage, in comparison to my old self, I'm quite literally a new and to some people unrecognisable man. But even now I'm not happy and at this stage, to acheieve my ongoing goals, sometimes feel like I'm in the same position in relation to my current status and goals as I was last year.

If you told me this time last year that there was any remote chance I could look like I do now, I'd probably have sold my family into slavery to acheive it. But now that I'm at that stage, its best not to see it that way. Far easier to always be harsh to yourself! Yields better results too....:D

Also as daveirl a schedule really helps. We all feel like sometimes just skipping the "odd" one but just getting on with it is not just obviously better for you, it boosts your motivation as well. A few times I've actually done weights at stupid times like 1am or whatever, but sticking to a regular plan helps out big time.

Smellyirishman

Leaving the house and going to the gym is simply habit. I come home, get everything together and leave, no questions asked. If I sit down at the PC I am 100% likely to delay the session or just not go, so I don't give myself the chance.

What motivates me? Results I guess, I mean, if there were no results then nobody would be doing it! Looking back at old pictures or the first page of a log book and realising where you started is quite impressive. Hitting goals is also a great motivation. Eating right just becomes normal after slowly integrating it into your lifestyle.

dubgirl

Just printed off the "couch to 5k running plan"
Thanks Quozl - going to start tonight!

Dragan

To be honest keeping me out of the gym is harder than getting me into it. Right now i am on a few days off, but only because i have a ****ed up knee ( even that didn't stop me, i was just not going to train legs ) but now i have a really bad cold as well, so i'm taking a few days to get over that.

I love training, i love the test, i love trying to do something i wasn't able to do before and seeing if i can do it now.

justsomebloke

actually the main thing that is going to motivate me at the moment is starting the on line journal for everyone to see. The fact that everyone can see is not the problem, the problem is that I know there are going to be a group of people who actually read it and may note how I am progressing, and the fact that I am no longer just accountable to myself and some of the crap that i let myself away with and that I have to account for it in a journal that some one maybe reading is motivation in itself

joker77

What motivates me is definitely the results - for training I mainly focus on cardio-fitness for football, so when I get out there on a pitch and can run and run, my game is so much more enjoyable because when you're fit your mind can focus much more on the game and just enjoying it than if it has to constantly battle with your body to get it to do what you want!

Secondary is aesthetics, one of my goals after getting to a good level of fitness was to build muscle to be more happy with how I look. I was always quite skinny as a teenager, and found it hard to increase my size, but I'm getting to the stage now where I'm on the right track eating-wise and training-wise so that I'm building up, but slowly enough so that there's no trade-off with the football-fitness.

I find routine is the key for me, I'm just on auto-pilot at this stage. Cycle into work 2-3 days a week (12 mile round trip), gym at lunch 3-4 days a week, football 2-3 evenings a week.

I understand what you mean thirtysomething about a busy lifestyle and fitting the training in - it's very difficult I'm sure for anyone with kids to be up early just to get them out the door in the mornings, then get them home, fed and in bed in the evenings. What about lunchtimes? If you've no gym near work, do you have showers there? If you do what about getting out for a run 2 or 3 times a week at lunch?

Liking working out is definitely an advantage yes, the danger for me is usually over-training, not under-training!

thirtyfoot

I found the book Slaying The Dragon (not Dragan;) ) by Michael Johnson very good on how to set goals and motivate yourself. Its a straighforward, very easy to read book from a man that did it all. He also tries to relate it to everyday things and emphasizes that no matter what it is, he always tries do something to the best of his abilities, whether its running a race, fixing the car or being a parent.

He always set a big goal towards the end of a season but built up to that main goal by fulfilling many smaller goals, asking himself how he can achieve these goals. For example if someone wants to lose 2 stone by xmas how do they do that? Stop eating sh*te for one. How do you know whats sh*te? Educate yourself on nutrition. How do you educate yourself on nutrition? Do a course, buy a book. Grand, the first goal is to go into Easons and buy a book on nutrition.

Most of training/motivation is common sense, if you think about what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. I always find its easier if you have many mini-goals that lead up to a main goal.

quozl

dubgirl wrote:

Just printed off the "couch to 5k running plan"
Thanks Quozl - going to start tonight!

Cool, best of luck with it If you've any difficulties give us a shout on here or check out the coolrunning forums. And do listen to their advice about not pushing yourself to run fast.

blorg

For me quozl hit the nail on the head, it has to be something you actually enjoy. For quozl it's running, for me it's cycling, but you if you pick something you enjoy doing you won't really _need_ the motivation to half the extent. I could never hack going to the gym (although might take up swimming with the dark winter nights setting in.)

spooiirt!!

Arms looking muscular is a good motivation. Whenever i felt to wrecked i just thought about what i want my biceps and triceps to look like, and next thing i knew i was on the way to the gym.

Cravez

The reason i stay motivated is i love to lift weights, period. I love the feeling of the pump, the soreness, you feel top of the world, almost invincible. To me its a great stress reliever. I love working my upper body, lower can be a pain in the arse for me

blorg

Another thing that will help - unless you have a gym/pool etc convenient to you pick something that you can do without having to go somewhere in particular. So I'm thinking things like running/cycling or home gym if that is your thing. If you have to spend an hour getting to and from a gym/pool that is an hour you could have spent exercising instead! You can fit a lot into a spare hour if you can start right away.

Boru.

I'm going to suggest something that may not be in the best intrests of health and fitness but it is by far the MOST motivating factor curently in my bag of personal trainer tricks - HONESTY.

What do you want? If you can answer that question truthfully it will motivate you to take action in that direction. For example 2 of my current clients -

Client 1 came to me wanting to lose weight, tone up and get in shape. She has her own equipment that she would prefere to use and asked me to build a program around that. She is a near full time business manager, has three adorable children and runs the household as well as being involved in numerous social and charity related activites.

I told her what I could do and how we could train using that equipment. Every morning she gets herself up at 7.00 looks after the kids and is back for her workout with me. For the next hour I put her through what can only be decsirbed as a form of torture for her . Heavy intense lifting with few rest periods.

She is left shaken, exhauseted and on one occasion near tears. For the results she wants, in the time she has alloted it requires huge amounts of work. And she will push herself to any length to do so. I am exceptionally proud of her and her remarkable progress.

She is able to do this because she wants this - she wants the results and she has mad it a priority in her life and as such will achieve remarkable success. She has made allowances and sacrfices in her life, has reduced the time she spends soicalising etc. Motivating yourself for that is really hard, doing whatever it takes to get what you want that's easy.

Client No 2. Said she wanted the exact same thing. But she was late for session, wouldn't do what was required etc. So today I sat her down and talked to her about what she wants. She doesn't want to get fit and in shape, nor does she want to lose weight. She understands she NEEDS to lose weight, but she doesn't WANT it. She understands the medical and social benefits of fitness etc, but she doesn't WANT it. (So I fired her - I kid but I did end our professional relationship, I won't spend my time training those who don't want it)

See the difference. People will do insane things to get what they WANT, and will rarely do anything to get what they NEED.

If you can identify what you WANT you will never have a probelm motivating yourself. But you should make sure to correctly identify what you want. Perhaps the answer may surprise you. You may be happy with who you are now and the your physique. Perhaps you just want to feel like you are fitter and healthier and not actually be fitter etc. That can simply be provided by a light walk once or twice a week. Will that turn you into a fitness model, no but that's not what you want is it?

At the risk of labouring my point - establish what you truly want and you will know exactly what to do as indicated in previous posts to achive it. You won't need to motiate yourself. You never motivate yourself for what you want, just what you need.

Remember it's okay not to want to be fit or lose weight or anything else we talk about here. If you're happy then you are fine. If not, find out what you want to do to make yourself happy and do it.

All the best,

Imposter

How do you find out what you want? (and actually know it's what you wnat rather than mixing it up with what you need or think you need or want)

Boru.

Simple - using the most advanced and direct technqiue - ask lots of questions. By consistently questioning yourself you can determine your desires and wants. Granted it may take some practice but since the days of Socarates and Plato this is still the best method for ascertaining the truth. Quesitons.

Its so important in fact that it is the fundamental principal upon which Motivational gurus such as Tony Robbins, D.r. Maxwell Maltz and many more use in order to bring about dramatic and long lasting personal change. It all begins with a question. Are you happy? What do you think would make you happy. How cna you accopmlish this? How long do you think you will need? What obstacles will you have to overcome? What support do you want. What do you not want.

Take the time for honest reflection and suddenly your world view can shift and although the decsions you make may only be slight changes now, if you follow then 5-1o years form now you would be on a completely different tangent in life. Never stop though - what may make you happy and fuffilled today, may not be the same thing year from now. You must constantly question and make affirmative positive decisions in answer to those questions.

This is a little out there perhaps but beleive me when I tell you it works. On an even deeper level you can see how the words you use when asking and answering those questions is indicative of the how you want to answer them.

I highly recomend any of Tony Robbins books, where he explains this in a nice down to earth, if overly American hyped manner. Great stuff.

Imposter

I've read and listened to some of what Steve Pavlina has said on this (it seems similar). I get to the stage where I answer with what I want but i'm not happy with my answer!

For example this whole getting fit thing and actually putting in the effort to lose weight/get fit/etc..., I say that I want that but i'm not sure that I want it enough to put in the effort doing it. At the same time I know I don't want to remain unfit/overweight/etc...

Knowing what I don't want has seen me acheive some of the easier changes neccessary to acheive this like changing my diet to be at least a little healthier, but this doesn't seem to be enough to get me over the tougher steps. Is this normal or is there another way to get to the "actually knowing what I want stage"?

Boru.

Hi Imposter - the answer is to continue with the porocess. You've asked questions and it has already led you to change. Just ask more questions. If you don't mind I'd like to use you as a live study for this

You get to a stage where you answer what you want but you aren't happy with your answer. That already answers a great deal. It tells me as I'm sure it does you that there is a want for change. You can look at yourself critically and say that's the truth of this situation but I'm want to change this. Always frame your answers (even if seemingly negative in positive light - the mind cannot provide fluid and easy anmswers if it is tied down in negativity or frustration, I know that sounds new agey, but stay with me)

Let's look at your example regarding health and fitness. You mention the word effort twice in that sentence - this imples that perhaps you understand the benefits of being fit and healthy but don't appreciate the VALUE on a personal level, or perhaps you don't VALUE it enough. And thats fine, remember there are no negative answers just interpretations - which we will always see from a positive angle.

Now doing this you have already made many small changes as you mention and have improved your diet etc, you are posting on a fitness forum and trying to find more information (see all positive steps towards change).

So let's continue the great work you have already set in motion - be as specific as you can in these answers - definte ansers produce definite results. If there is a question of time, for instance state an exact day, not just a random oh in 3 months - say clearly "I want "x" by Feburary 10th" etc.

Clearly and definitely state your goal -

1. How much weight do you want to lose?
2. How much body fat do you want to lose?
3. What does fitness mean to you? How do you define it for your life?

(Eg. running a 4 minute mile, 15 rounds of full conact kickboxing, being able to sprint after the bus, the ability to move heavy objects with ease, etc?)

• How can you achieve this goal?
• How long will give yourself to achieve this goal
• What are the the tougher steps / obstacles that you see in the path to attaining your goal.

Answer each of these questions with a definite positive affirmation. So don't just say eh...I'm looking to lose a few pounds of fat, or I want to be fitter - write and say it as a DEFINITE STATEMENT - e.g.

I WILL LOSE 10LBS OF FAT WITHIN 5 WEEKS STARTING SEP 30TH at 7.00am

That's a far more powerful statment and gives you clear direction. The human mind is amazing becasue of one incredible faculty - the imagination. Your mind cannot tell the difference between a highly detailed imaginary thought and reality - I'll discuss this in great detail soon but for now as you answer each question I WANT you to visualise the success that answer brings and state to yourseLf loudly and with affirmation that this is what you WANT.

Imposter

Boru. wrote:

If you don't mind I'd like to use you as a live study for this

If you want me to openly answer those questions then yes I do mind but the advice was good, thanks!

I guess I was not really setting any overly specific goals and that seems to be what you are suggesting. I'll give this a go for sure!

Odysseus

What work for me is setting very clear goals, in one way I'm luckly in that I like a challenge in my life, so I look for something that I know will push me, and then tell people I'm doing it. The fact that people ask me how I'm getting on, as well as the fact that I could'nt deal with the shame of me not finishing what I started would be a killer for me, if it was due to just being lazy and not training enough.

As others have mentioned, taking up something that you like is the crux of the matter, personally for me its long distance running and martial arts. I like to push myself in the areas as well as others. In my experience, if you have a goal in mind, it will get you there. For me I want to do the sahara marathon in feb, and then go back to Lapland for their ultra marathon, that will keep me going for the next few months;)

king_of_inismac

Getting back to the original Poster's question:

What brings me to the gym 4/5 times a week is that I enjoy it.

Next question
Why do I enjoy it?
1. I see results, definite measureable results (see Boru's post)

2. I don't do exercises that bore me to death or ones that would stop me from coming to the gym regularly

Example: Everyone needs to do cardio, but I hate threadmills. For the last few weeks, I've been going swimming. When I get enough of that, I won't stop training, I'll take up something else, like jogging, or cycling but I still won't miss a week training.

3. Always have a baseline fitness routine. For me its karate. There is NEVER a week I miss karate. So even if I'm bored of swimming, gym, running, I'll take a break from that but I'll always keep up the karate to keep myself at a minimum fitness level

Sangre

The same reason I'm in the library on a Sunday, the results outweigh the negatives.