Look great. Be healthy. Run a marathon. Loose weight. Revenge. Feel better. Whatever your motivation is to start working out, you need to find it, and after you find it, you need to find other little reasons to keep you going. Summer is here. Can’t quit, won’t quit. Make others notice. Don’t set back. Keep the weight off, etc.
So where do we find it? That’s pretty easy, most people are not satisfied with how they look. A study by the Social Issues Research Center shows that 80% of women over the age of 18 are unhappy with what they see in the mirror. Men also show an increase in dissatisfaction as their age increases. So, the motivation is probably very basic. Look better= Feel better. And I don’t mean to say, look like the models of a magazine, I mean: be the best version of YOURSELF. (I uploaded a picture of me 4 years ago- an average skinny girl vs. a picture of a couple of months ago)
Studies have confirmed over and over that exercise makes you feel good. It’s not a myth, it’s actual science. Exercise releases the feel good hormone of dopamine; it’s a natural drug that’s legal and free!
And guess what… once you establish a routine it becomes ADDICTIVE. But we’ll talk about establishing a routine on a further post.
The most important aspect of finding your motivation is YOU. What do you want and how badly do you want it and then repeating in your head every single day that in order to accomplish that goal, you NEED to do it, you won't get to it by sitting at home doing nothing.
So here are a couple of tips I found helpful to get me into it:
- Sit down and analyze your eating habits vs. your physical activity ratio
- Commit to trying your hardest
- Set realistic goals. Don’t go from 0-100 in one day. Start gradually with 2-3 workouts a week and then increase gradually.
- Experiment with different physical activities until you find one that speaks to you (even if you suck at it, you will get better with practice).
- Find, if possible, friends or family that want to workout as well (if they are at your level, even better, you’ll motivate each other not to give up)
- When the time comes to go workout and you hear that inner-voice say “Im sooo tired”, “I’ll skip today”, “Maybe later”… Repeat your goal over and over and force yourself to get dressed. Odds are by the time you’re dressed you’ll must likely say “fuck it” and go do it!
- Find workout gear that motivates you. Invest in those sneakers that speak to you! Yes they’re an investment if they’ll help you feel great! Same goes for clothes. Workout clothes are just like regular new clothes, you can’t wait to wear them!
No need to wait for the next year to have it as your New Year’s Resolution, start TODAY, after all, SUMMER IS HERE!
XOXO,
C.
