What is MOTIVATION? Derived from the Latin word “MOVERE” which means “to move“, it’s the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal.
Or, from the dictionary:
In everything we do in life, there’s always some desired end result that (perhaps without us even knowing it) motivates us to finish a project, get an education, achieve a goal or (my particular favourite) be healthy and fit. Your motivation can be as simple and short term as deciding “if I don’t buy a latte every morning, I can easily afford to pay for Boot Camp” or as complex and lifelong as planning your career and investment strategy in order to retire early and spend your time on a tropical island in the Caribbean. In order to reach whatever the desired goal is, we need to find that motivating factor and work with it.
Motivation comes in all shapes and sizes and is limited only by your imagination. Motivation is also very greatly impacted by your personality, expectations, ambition, needs or wants. The list can be endless, which is why being asked what motivates you can sometimes seem almost impossible to answer.
But, for now, I’d like you to focus on just your health and fitness. Are you happy about your current status, or would you like to improve both? Remember, your body is the vehicle that carries you through all those other activities that make up your “life” and, if you don’t take care of it, how much living will you miss? Will you just sit and watch your children (or grandchildren) play and be active, or would you rather be building memories by joining them? What would motivate you to get off your butt, eat healthier and be more active?
Also to consider, there may be times when you feel you’re “waiting to be motivated” and it just doesn’t come. As a result, you can’t seem to get off that couch and exercise. What I’ve found to be true, when this lack of motivation hits, is that you can then rely and lean on others to help you. I’ve seen clients start a fitness regime with me because, even though they’re not yet truly motivated, they “know” they need to do something. But, when they start to feel good physically and mentally, when they see results and know they’re stronger, THEN the motivation really hits them to keep going. There’s also an emotional shift that happens. You’ll start to miss your workouts. You’ll miss pushing your body, miss the outdoor enjoyment with the other participants (there’s definitely a group camaraderie that develops) and some even miss working out with me! When that mind shift hits you – it’s so much easier to keep going. You now have a “habit” that provides you with the motivation.
So for some of you, you just need to start “doing” and allow others to help motivate you to being more fit and reach better health and get through the lack of motivation to eventually find what motivates you later because the mind and body shift is going to happen!
I got into the fitness business because one of my motivation factors is a strong desire to see others reach their health and fitness potential. I get up early (and I’m definitely not an “early to rise” type of person) because I’m driven to help those who can only find the time to work out at that time of day. I work later into the evening to help those clients that find that an after work time works best for them. It can definitely make for a very long day but, at the end of it, I feel really good about my ability to help others. It’s a win-win! They get healthier and I feel really good about helping them to accomplish their goals!
Now, I want you to consider the fitness goal you’d like to achieve and then figure out what would motivate you towards success. If you need help with determining what may motivate you to be healthier and fitter, contact me. I’d like to help you too! Together we can figure out what motivates you to be successful in your desire for health and fitness.
Loreli’s company, Alter Ego Fitness Experience, offers Personal Training, Group Fitness (boot camp) and YogaFit training options. Her passion for overall health and wellness, and her innate ability to sense a client’s personal struggles, enables her to assist them to get to their next level and to, ultimately, find their “alter ego”!
“Overall health and fitness is a journey, not a destination!“