Motivation to Move

One of the many questions I get asked regularly by my clients is how I stay motivated to train regularly as well as continuously.  The truth is; it really is a constant struggle to get yourself motivated, when really all you want to do after a long day is unwind and give your body some rest.

It took me some time, a few years to be precise, to figure out how to get myself psyched and up and ready for a training session, even for those Friday afternoon or Sunday evening 19:30 sessions when you can think of a million better things to do with your time than to exercise!

When the going gets tough, I always end up going back to the same thought train; “Why am I exactly doing this again?”, and “I’m so privileged and blessed to have the ability to exercise-I should!”  First thoughts always being; I ALWAYS feel so good, energetic and overall just happier after a training session.  Those feel-good hormones, AKA endorphins, must have been written about a million times before, and all for a very good reason!  No one can deny that the feeling you get after a workout is unbeatable; definitely makes the pain and suffering of the actual workout worth it!  Another thing that always gets me going, is the mere fact of after a week of good workouts, not missing any sessions, you feel so accomplished-a feeling that is priceless!

Another point that we must always try and remember is that we are so incredibly privileged to have the ability to exercise! So many people out there would LOVE to be able to have the ability to exercise; yet they are paraplegic or chronically (or even fatally ill). The mere fact that I am a healthy and able-bodied person motivates me even more than anything else to use this amazing, healthy and able body to its full potential!

If we start digging for over-used quotes, we can always also go back to the quote: “Look after your body, it’s the only place you really have to live.”  This has to be one of my all-time favourite health and wellness quotes-how true this is! I have seen people very close to me, wishing they had started living a healthier lifestyle earlier when it was unfortunately way too late and the damage was already done.  I have also come to the realisation that it is human-nature to only react to something like a life-threatening disease, such as lifestyle related cancers, when it is too late.  We as humans tend to be more reactive as opposed to pro-active. Unfortunately good health waits for no-one, and I consider this one of my biggest life lessons.  Good health is in most cases a choice, something we do have control over, and I consider regular exercise just as important as good, informed dietary choices when it comes to health and overall wellness.

Generally I have found that extrinsic factors such as training to look good on the outside, rarely beats intrinsic factors such as training to feel good on the inside.  Once you figure out what drives you, stick to it and always go back to that exact same thought-train when the going gets tough.

The fact of the matter is that even for us trainers, it really is a constant struggle; motivation levels fade with time and you have to constantly find ways to motivate yourself to get going, no matter who you are.  In the end; “The only workout you will ever regret, is the one you didn’t do!”

by Yolande Pretorius