Motivation

After a little talk about excuses on Wednesday, I thought it might be appropriate to talk about the other side of things…motivation.

I’m a pretty dedicated exerciser. I get in 6 days a week and have for the past several years. So what motivates me to get out there and sweat on a regular basis? Because it isn’t always easy. Here are some of the things that motivate me to get ‘er done.

1. positive thinking: I am a firm believer in self-efficacy and the self-fulfilling prophecy. If you start a workout thinking it won’t be a good one, or that you’re going to run slow or you’re going to be too sore to do much, then 90% of the time you will fulfill that. So instead, I decide beforehand just how great my workout will be. It gets me excited to workout and results in a overall better workout session.

2. gear: It is true. If I didn’t have good running gear, I would be far less likely to get out there and run and push myself. Thanks to my good running shoes, vibrams, and cold-climate running gear (like my Lucy leggings! which I love), I am prepared for a good workout.

3. Accountability: It really did help me to work harder when I logged my mileage in hoping to get 1,000 miles last year. So this year I track miles and weights I use on my own so I can see progress and try to beat myself.

4. Talking Watch: Okay, this sounds weird. But it is true. Since I got the new Nike+ SportWatch GPS, I have had more motivation to get outside and run. Not only because I love running with it and uploading my stats on the computer…but also because it ASKS me to run with it. So maybe you don’t have a talking watch, but you could get a friend to ask you to run with them!

5. Endorphins: I think it is safe to say once I start a workout, I never regret it. The starting is often the hard part. When that is the case, I imagine myself at the end and the good feeling I get that I accomplished something, I worked hard, and my health is better for it. That makes it alllll worth it.

Here are a few other motivation tips from the greatist.com:

• have a mantra (like the little engine that could!)
• visualize
• train with a personal trainer (eh?)
• break down your workout (tell yourself to run for 10 minutes, then another 10, then just 5 more, etc.)
• find a workout friend
• download some new workout tunes
• count out loud when performing reps
• get in the zone

~What motivates you to work hard?