We’ve all experienced it at some point. You were regularly busting your guts and sweating off your make up exercising hard. Then, you simply got bored doing the same old thing, listening to the same old thudding tunes on your MP3 player and found watching the daily News on the TV more exciting. Perhaps you had a terrible bout of flu which kept you away from your exercise routine. Any progress made is long gone along with all your motivation. Now you’ll do anything to avoid exercise.

Even the most dedicated and avid exerciser sometimes flags. Waning motivation, cutting exercise sessions short and not having your old enthusiasm are all signs of a stale exercise regimen. What’s to be done? The more you procrastinate, the worse you feel, but the thought of being flabby and sagging is potentially too intimidating.

What you do to keep motivated is often just as important to you as why you began to exercise. The key is to remember that you need to find what works for you. You must find your own motivation, deep inside of yourself. There is no other source of motivation because if you aren’t willing to do the work, then nothing else will make you. Exercise motivation is unique to each person. Your motivation to do something is the reason why you want to do it. If you have motivation, you do something because you want to do it, and not because you have to do it.

Consider this:

“Those who do not make time for fitness, will have to make time for illness”

One way to stay motivated is to constantly remind yourself that a worth-while pay-off lies ahead; a new, healthy, strong you is emerging. Effective, consistent exercise will not only improve your overall health and fitness, but will also improve your appearance, energy level, and social interactions. Also, look forward to the many psychological benefits as well: confidence, self-esteem, and relief from depression, anxiety and stress.

If you are serious about your health and well-being, you will take action and stick with an exercise program, and you will benefit in all these ways. Once you see the results, you will become even more motivated. Action creates motivation!

Your first plan of action is to make exercise a habit again. It takes on average three weeks to develop a routine. While a three times a week workout of 20 minutes each is the prescribed minimum, you might find a light daily workout better for getting back into the habit. Start off exercising three or more times a week for 20 minutes or more, and work up to at least 30 minutes, four to six times a week. This can include several short bouts of activity in a day. Take a close look at your program and determine what’s causing your exercise stagnation. Then use my ideas on how to inject life back into your routine:

Set Goals for Motivation

Goal-setting is another great way of staying motivated. Goals focus your workout programme and clarify what you are trying to achieve. As you attain each goal, you gain encouragement and further motivation. Here is how to achieve the goals you set and obtain the results you deserve.

1. Make sure your goals are measurable: A vague goal, such as “I want to be fit,” gives you little to aim for. Decide when and what you are going to achieve, such as “I want to lose 2 percent of my body fat by the time I get married.”

2. Be realistic: Make sure your goals are attainable. If you set your expectations too high, you will get frustrated and will be more likely to quit. Make sure, however, that your goals are not too easy. They should be challenging. When you achieve a challenging goal, your pride and satisfaction will generate more motivation.

3. Set short-term goals as stepping stones to your “ultimate” (long-term) goals: If your long-term goal is to lose 10 kilos in one year, then set short-term weekly or monthly goals of the weight you to lose to achieve your long term goal. You should try to develop a plan. It is a lot easier to accomplish a goal one day or week at a time, such as losing 1 or 2 kilos a week, than it is to think that you need to decrease your weight by 10 kilos.

By Cornel Chin Celebrity Personal Trainer/Fitness Troubleshooter read more →