Motivation To Start!

Ahhh yes...motivation.  If it came in a pill Americans couldn't swallow fast enough.  However, it comes from within.  Over the past few years, I have tried many tatics with clients, friends, and family to create motivation to start working out or jump on a healthier wellness path and yet failed to stimulate their motivation.  Why?  Because motivation doesn't come from others, it comes from you.  Yes, you can be motivated by what others are doing, or even with a new pair of shoes.  However, if you don't have your own reasons for wanting to exercise, then you won't stay on that exercise pony for long.  Below are six tips that may help you begin your own pesonal wellness journey. 

1. Find Your "Why"  - In order to be successful at anything we do, we must have a good reason for doing it in the first place.  One of the first things I do when working with new clients is to have them establish the "whys".  Why do you want to start working out?  Why do you want to lose weight?  Why?  Give me the reasons.  That way when the excuse train comes to town, I can look you in the face start listing them out.  Make a list of  reasons why you want this.  Put the list somewhere where you can see it daily.  Give the list to a buddy to help hold you accountable.  Give it to me! :-)

2. Who Supports You? - This is one of my next questions I ask my clients.  I want them to tell me who will support them through this journey.  Who can they call on when they don't feel motivated and need a pep talk?  We call them cheerleaders for a reason.  If you surround yourself with hateleaders, you won't make it very far.  Make sure you have some awesome cheerleaders helping you through this.  Let them know of your goals and ways they can help. 

3.  Identify Barriers - The third question I ask clients is to identify barriers to exercise or losing weight.  I want you to think about what is specifically keeping you from getting out the door and into some form of exercise?  Identify.  Find a solution. Take action.  (If  "time" is an issue for you and you can't seem to find a solution, talk to me, we can resolve this). 

4. Buddy System - Having someone who's counting on you to be there makes it less likely that you'll skip it or put it off. It'll motivate you to go knowing your friend expects you to be there. Plus, think of it as a way to get to see your friend. 

5. Start Small - I mean real small.  Sometimes it takes doing something small like a 5 minute walk to get the ball rolling.  So many people think you have to spend hours or have this master workout plan to start.  You don't.  Most people are what I consider to be planners.  They've planned to start for weeks, months, or sometimes years!  However, they never actually follow through with their plans.  If you are constantly planning to start working out, yet, never follow through, Ask yourself, "why are you  planning but not doing?"  What ARE YOU letting get in the way of this plan?  My advice is to set a very small, achievable goal.  Something you can probably do on a daily basis. Maybe it will be walking to the mailbox to get the mail.  From there you can build but start super small.  It feels good to achieve something! 

 6. Go Public - One reason I wanted to create a blog was to allow people to post their goals, progress, and most of all their accomplishments.  It doesn't even have to be through the blog...it can be anywhere...put it in the town newspaper if it will make you get off the couch and walk 5 minutes.  My point is, when you go public with things, you tend to do them.  You are more likely to hold yourself accountable.

Remember, you are accountable for you.  No one can force you to start or stop.  At some point you have to look in the mirror and decide you either want this or you don't.  At the end of the day it comes down to choice.  You either choose to start walking down a healthier path or you don't.  But no one else can be held accountable for what you choose to do or not do. 

It's the lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself.
-- Muhammad Ali

~Stephanie