Fitness, nutrition, and weightlifting are all
ventures in life that do not come without sacrifices or struggles.
How one overcomes these challenges demonstrates their true dedication
and heart. Everyone will come to a point where they may begin to
lose focus. This is when the individual’s motivation plays
a role. Motivation can be defined as, “the psychological feature
that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal.”*
Many times in one’s life they may decide to embark on an endeavor
such as completing an essay or homework or achieving a fitness goal
such as weight loss or muscle gain. In the beginning the individual
will do all of the things that they believe are necessary to achieve
this goal promoting a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment. This new
found desire may fade as the result of the person’s goal becoming
more challenging and time consuming. Hours a day spent on the goal
may turn into a half hour a day. This half hour a day turns into
a half hour a week, until the person finds themselves back in their
old routine which does not involve that goal. It generally takes
an individual 21 days to form a new habit and that same time period
to break old habits.
Starting a routine for a healthy life is one of the biggest decisions
that you will ever make. How many of you know anyone that has joined
a gym for a year, only to stop going after a month? How many of
you know someone that says they have started a new diet, only to
see them cramming fast food down their throats while late to an
office meeting? Whether it is the grind of school or work, people
make excuses for stumbling to achieve the goals they desire. These
people not only waste their hard earned money on gym memberships
that they will not use or diet plans that never pan out. The first
key that one needs to consider for motivating themselves is desire.
How much do you really want to become fit and healthy?
Visualizing what you want in life and keeping that picture in your
mind can do wonders for not quitting. This can be done in the form
of writing what you want down and putting it in as many places as
possible. Writing down what you hope to achieve and reading it throughout
the day as a reminder will help keep your goals as a top priority
in your life. Setting a date for a certain goal is also very helpful.
Deciding you want to lose 10lbs by a certain date written on your
calendar can act as a very powerful prompt to stay motivated. Keeping
a notebook of your lifting and nutrition will also work wonders
as incentives. The process of seeing on paper that you are improving
can only help your desire.
In addition to writing down goals and setting deadlines for your
fitness undertakings it is often wise to choose a partner or coach
that will help you stay motivated when you are feeling determined
to achieve. Having a partner will do wonders for your psyche in
the gym or when you have make the tough decision to eat a garden
salad as opposed to a juicy Big Mac. You will begin to think to
yourself that if he or she can continue to strive towards this goal,
why can’t I? And the answer will be that you can. You will
be motivated and probably even become a little competitive with
your partner which is a natural response to the desire to achieve.
Deciding to begin a new and healthier life remains one thing that
many people continuously put off to another date and time. Changing
your way of thinking and daily routine are things that must be done.
Going to the gym or eating a healthy meal should eventually be like
waking up in the morning. It may be a struggle in the beginning,
but nothing worth achieving has been accomplished without obstacles.
Like any other goal, persistence is the key to having success. The
decision to start a new fitness routine or diet lies in your hands.
This choice must have your faith and desire behind it, because without
that, it is nothing more than an empty promise.
* "motivation." WordNet® 3.0. Princeton University.
05 Dec. 2007. --Dictionary.com
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