Headstrong Health: The Psychology of Getting Fit

My friend asked this question on Facebook today: 

QOD: What do you do to re-motivate yourself?

I’m stuck in a rut. I forgot how hard it is to motivate yourself to workout. At this very moment, I find myself coming to the disappointing realization that I haven’t made fitness as essential a part of my life as I had thought. OUCH!! That’s hard to admit. After being sick for several weeks and having major time conflicts with my workout partner, I can count on my hands the number of times I have worked out. The result: I am more lethargic throughout the day, my naps have gone back to being 3 hours rather than 30 minutes (the latter is what I prefer and find more productive), my sleep at night is of a lesser quality, and my overall mood is good but not great (too blessed to be depressed, ya’m sayin’ ;)). AGH!!!! I MUST get back into the gym, but I am also still a bit sick and the situation with my workout partner is not going to change anytime soon.

My answer: 

These are things I go through to kickstart motivation:

1. Acknowledge that my mood is HIGHLY affected by exercise/nutrition that day. 2. after acknowledging, realize that i am not going to feel better until i do something.

2. allow myself to rest when needed (being sick is usually a great indicator that you needed rest)

3. immerse myself in information about nutrition- read articles, “like” facebook pages, sign up for motivational emails

4. check in with my excuses.. i dont have a gym right now either, so when i get frustrated i have to be resourceful and use bodyweight, dumbells, or running

5. Figure out excuses when dealing with others.. I like workout partners, but i know I can’t/shouldn’t depend on them. I also realized that some friends and family are self conscious about their weight, but I can’t help that I make different choices. that doesn’t mean I should change my habits around them to make them feel better and stray from my goals. people also tend to say “you already look great” but they don’t know you, and they don’t know your potential, so I don’t let that get in my head. There’s always better.

6. Do little things that pick me up ( do pushups, do a headstand, take a short walk that usually ends up being longer).. i allow myself to train frequently throughout the day and be ok with not doing an hour workout. then it usually adds up. Random fitness is still fitness.

7. Write write write.. I write out my goals for my body, my mind, my emotions, my habits. the more I write it, the more my habits come in line with my goals. legit I will write “I eat mostly raw, organic vegetables. I enjoy working out. I enjoy walking. I feel amazing when I work out. People comment on my changing appearance by saying ___ and ___. ” and i think it gets incorporated into the psyche and does its work subconsciously. Which all adds into this final one..

8. Make it part of your identity. I wasn’t always strong. I had to make myself be “the healthy one.” Each day, we have the opportunity to reinvent who we are. I reevaluated my self talk and realize that I was calling myself “the fat one” or “the thick one” of my friends, family, etc. and I have since changed that to believe I am “the lean one” or “the fit one.”

That’s my honest answer lol.

• Awesome other response 1:  I switch up my routine. I get bored of regular old liftin and runnin. So I did cross fit. Now I’m doing insanity. Next I’m going to do p90x. Always changing things up.

   
•  Awesome other response 2:  Simple, find something active u like to do for fun. If u don’t know try a bunch of things. Because when u like it you won’t need anyone to go with you. I like bball, flag football, kayaking, I’ll even buy some roller blades before I go running everyday. I don’t like jogging. But I can play ball for hours.
•  Awesome other response 3:  Set a new goal. I signed up to run a half in November and one in January. I thought some friends were going to run with me in November, but they backed out. Mine is already paid for, so off to train by myself I go! I’m terrified, but money is a huge motivator. If I pay for it, I’m doing it!

  Or set baby goals- when you reach one, like 7 workouts, you treat yourself to a new lipstick, or when you reach 30, you treat yourself to a massage or a pedicure or new workout outfit. 

  You can do it!!

plus I don’t know if your workout partner is a dude, but if you’re alone you’re more likely to meet people at the gym. and if you’re feeling non-social, it’s pretty easy to experience the feeling of anonymity at the gyms in VA. just being at the gym, I can watch others and learn new exercises and workouts (like the two guys above said, you can get new ideas) .. and can work out without worrying about who i know or who is going to interrupt me. Once I join a new center, I start to see the gym as a sanctuary and just being there allows me to reset and chill out, no matter how good or bad my workout ends up being.