You Are Your Greatest Motivational Tool
As a personal trainer, I’m always being asked questions about workouts, nutrition, supplements and physique, but there is one question that gets asked more than any other.
HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE YOURSELF TO WORKOUT?
This has always been the hardest question to answer. It was never something I paid much attention to, or gave much thought. In my head, my body felt like a machine, and a machine needs to be running consistently to not break down. I never gave a lot of other thought to it, but rather scientifically concluded that I MUST TRAIN, and TRAIN HARD!
I had felt what happens when you let your body become sedentary, train improperly and neglect nutrition. Recovering from shoulder surgery and hernia surgery were big wake up calls. There was no way I was going to be out of shape for the rest of my life, I needed to make a change and start moving.
So I started walking. 5 minutes became 10 minutes. 10 minutes became 20 minutes. Eventually, an hour passed, then 2. I realized what amazing organisms we humans are, how resilient we are, how quickly we recover with activity and how intricately we’ve been fashioned to move, swim, run and jump. One year became two years, two became four. Now I stand before you all as a completely new person.
…. but it STARTED with 5 minutes.
So I guess my greatest motivational tool is keeping just a little picture of my old self in the back of my mind. I keep a picture of him there as a constant reminder of what can happen when we slack off, the consequence of neglect of our body, and how incredibly hard I’ve worked to become a better, healthier person. I myself am my greatest friend, I am my motivator, but I can sometimes be my own enemy.
I always tell my clients, “I can’t make you do the workouts, I can’t make you eat right. The CHOICE is always YOURS. Every small decision to try and be better, from doing one more rep, to saying no to that cheat meal is a reflection of YOU and YOUR DEDICATION TO YOUR GOALS.”
Make your choices victorious, and always learn from your mistakes. Take every little victory you can, use them to empower the next battle. Before you know it, time will pass and a better you will emerge. Stay Happy and Healthy.
