How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated to Get Fit.

It is often said by fitness gurus that to obtain the physique of a Greek god one must dedicate themselves to a lifestyle of strict diet and exercise. Such endeavors cannot be obtained through casual exercise and are only kept by those who are naturally self motivated to keep that dedication. Or are they?

What about those of us that may have more realistic goals or are having trouble just getting started? How do mere mortals get motivated and stay motivated to make the necessary changes to just live a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise without feeling like we have to transition through a complete metamorphosis?

The answer is far more simple and realistic than you may think!

Why do people fail?

Many people fail because they lack motivation. For various reason, we often sabotage ourselves before we make enough progress to see the benefits of hard work.

January brings many new faces to gyms around the nation with optimistic fantasies of new bodies and new lifestyles. Yet, by February, many of these new memberships go unused and stay that way until cancelled.

Why is there such a huge loss of devotion plaguing the intentions of new fitness hopefuls? The self sabotage of procrastination? Injuries? Accepting the false realization that its not for you?

The answer lies in our inability to maintain motivation. But what is the culprit of this motivation killer? The answer is most commonly ourselves. Simply put, we talk ourselves out it for various reasons.

Perhaps the expectation that a long workout should bring instant results. Or maybe we work hard through January but don't see the results we think we should by February or even March.

The most common reason we give up too early is a lack of patience. The right mentality to have when approaching exercise is that its really not that difficult (and really, its not!), we should be comfortable with waiting months before measuring results, and after the first week or so we can expect that our bodies will begin to crave the workout.

Throw away the scale!

That's right, throw away your scale. I'm serious. Get rid of it. And while you're at it, stop watching the mirror, too!

A watched pot never boils. If you haven't heard that saying before it means it always seems to take longer, or be more difficult, if we watch the smallest details too closely.

Getting on the scale after each workout is going to KILL your motivation. You cannot expect to see significant changes in the first three months. This, of course, will be different for everyone, but the point is that you cannot watch the scale so close that you grow impatient from not seeing the results you want.

Keep in mind that the more drastic a change you want to see the longer it will take to get there. Be realistic!

The best approach to your workouts is that you are not working out to get to the end of the workout, but to get to the end of the month. Set your goal further away than just that workout and mentally

What about the difficulty?

The most important principle to keep in your mind at any point in your process is that it is NEVER as hard as you think it is.

What is the hardest part? Getting started. Just getting started is the hardest part because we will tell ourselves its not worth it or its better to just stay home and relax.

If at any point you feel yourself pulling away from starting that exercise know that you are being attacked by your complacency. Move your thinking into attack mode!

That feeling of dread of "oh no, do I really have to exercise today?" or "do I really want to be here?" is the start of the loss of your motivation. This is when you must go on the offensive!

Turn off your brain at this point. Once you hear the voice in your head change from "yes you can" to "eh, lets not" you MUST shut down your brain completely and just focus on getting through the workout.

How do you do this? Its simple. Think of it like driving on autopilot. If you have a long commute to work you may have experienced this more than once. Maybe you're focused on thinking of something really important or just trying to distract yourself from the monotony of the commute, but autopilot kicks in and before you realize it you are nearly at your destination and wondering how you even got there.

This is what you need to get through your workout. It's easiest if you are doing cardio, but lifting weights or working a machine can also be handled with little thought of how much effort you are actually using.

This technique will be easier as you get used to doing it but you will likely find that exercising really is not that difficult. Just remember, your results are the direct result of effort. The more effort you put in, the better results you will receive.

What about the pain?

Another reason we lose motivation is we fear the pain associated with working out.

Working out is not suppose to be painful, but there may be times where muscles may ache. As long as this is not due to injury, you should welcome it! That's right, get used to it! This pain significantly subsides when you have finished that set or reach the end of your cardio.

Work through it! Pain is just weakness leaving the body. Pain is you killing the old you. Your workout won't be as effective if you don't feel a little pain, so expect it and prepare for it. Welcome it like an old friend.

Pro tip: after a few weeks of regular exercise, this pain is so manageable that its almost enjoyable. The natural endorphins released by your body when exercising is what gives us this "workout high" and can motivate you to keep up the lifestyle!

How about dieting?

Dieting is honestly the hardest part of staying fit. You do NOT have to completely abandon the foods you love if they aren't considered the most healthy of foods.

While this may be different for everyone, if you work out enough you will be able to eat whatever you want! This is not to say you don't have to eat healthy foods. Your body will still need the proper nutrition.

If you want to eat that piece of cake, go right ahead. But be prepared to work that off later.

Thinking that we have to completely abandon our comfort foods or junk food snacks can be a real motivation killer. It's okay to keep your favorite foods in stock.

The best results will be obtained by those that choose foods that are the right nutrition first and regards the taste as secondary. Not all protein shakes or health foods taste delicious, and that's okay! Remind yourself of this before considering any dietary changes.

Eventually, your body will have new cravings for the healthier foods as it will recognize that it gets what it needs from the healthier foods. Power your way though the difficulty in eating foods that might not "hit the spot". This, too, will change in time.

In Conclusion...

Motivation is key to success. To get motivated, remember that this is obtainable! It's not nearly as hard as you will often tell yourself that it is. You will keep your motivation more easily if you approach your fitness with patience when waiting for results.

The first two weeks are the hardest, but by then your body should be craving the workout and will easily manage most discomfort. This goes as well with dietary changes. Your body will eventually crave healthier foods the more you make those better choices.

Welcome the challenge and fake it 'till you make it if you have to. As creatures of habit, you will notice complacency in your new lifestyle and soon enough wonder how you could ever live any other way.