I love my sweets, which means I gotta love my exercise too, or I’m in big trouble! My name is Andrea, and I think the best way to describe me is a girly-tom-boy, if there is such a thing. I love a good long shopping trip, but I also love a good long, sweaty, stinky run. I love lotion and perfume, and anything that smells good, but I also love camping, and hiking, and anything outdoors. I married my favorite guy 3 years ago, I graduated from BYU in Exercise Science 2 years ago, and now I stay home with the happiest most energetic 15 month old boy and I love it!
I have learned over the years through personal experience that excuses aren’t what keep people from exercising because EVERYONE has them (and some pretty dang good ones too), so why do some people exercise while others don’t???
The answer to that has nothing to do with their list of reasons why they don’t exercise, but it has everything to do with their list of reasons why they DO exercise. MOTIVATION is the answer!
We don’t need tips and tricks to overcome each and every problem we face when it comes to exercising. We need MOTIVATION. Find enough motivation and the problems, excuses, barriers, etc. overcome themselves!!!
Now the question is where do we find that motivation? We ALL have days that feel a little something like this no matter how much we love or hate exercising!
I started running marathons in 2005 and have been addicted ever since. Even though everyone that knows me considers me a running addict, that doesn’t mean that I ALWAYS want to get out and exercise. On more days than not, I still have to dig deep for motivation to get out of bed way too early in the morning, or get off the couch after a long busy day and get some exercise. I thought I would share some of the things that have helped me stay motivated to exercise over the years and through the changing stages of my life! I think I’ll share 7 things that I’ve found helpful because I like the number 7. My birthday is on the 7th, I got married 7/7/07, and I’m currently training for marathon number 7 and hoping it’s my best one yet!
1.BABY STEPS
This is my little boy at the park the day he took his first steps. Look at that smile on his face! Do you think he cared that the other kids at the park were running, jumping, and walking without losing their balance and falling flat on their butts? Nope! He couldn’t care less what those other kids were doing. All he cared about was that he just took his first step, and that was one step more than he took yesterday! He sure was proud of himself! We can learn a lot from kids! Who cares if the person next to you at the gym looks like they just won a body building competition, and who cares if you are barely managing to walk a mile at the track while being lapped over and over again by some mom pushing a double jogging stroller with twins in it. No matter what fitness level you are at you should pat yourself on the back, put a big smile on your face, and be proud of yourself for getting out and doing whatever you are doing! At least you aren’t sitting on the couch at home eating ice-cream, and that’s something to be proud about!
2.JUST GET DRESSED
Some days (a lot of days) I feel like this, and I’m sure most of us do too. One thing I’ve found helpful on days like this is simply putting my exercise clothes on. Shoes and all. I don’t think about the exercise part, I just put my clothes on. Usually within an hour (sometimes longer) I find myself wanting to get my exercise over with so I can put my regular clothes on and get on with my day. Try it! It really helps! Even if you have to wear those clothes for three hours before you finally get out the door! Eventually you’ll want to get out of those clothes, and that would just be lame to change in to your exercise clothes for nothing! And, if you REALLY need some motivation that day put yesterday’s exercise clothes on. Then you’ll really want to get your exercise done and out of those clothes STAT!
3. CALL SOMEONE
This may be the most motivating one for me personally. Sometimes I manage to get the exercise clothes on, but still don’t feel an inkling of motivation. I could wait around for several hours hoping that motivation will soon kick in, or I can pick up the phone and call people until I find someone that says, “Sure I’ll go with you!” Once you do that you’re STUCK. There’s no turning back now. Can you imagine their reaction if you said, “Actually, I don’t really feel like exercising. I just wanted to see what you would say.” They don’t have to be your best friend, and it really doesn’t matter if you barely know them. If you happen to know they enjoy doing the same kind of exercise you do they’ll most likely be glad you called them because they were in need of a little extra motivation too! I’ve made some lifelong best friends doing this!
Here’s the proof!
I found out from a mutual acquaintance that this girl was training for the same race I was. I got her phone number and I called her up even though I had never met her before. We were both students at BYU and we started training together. Now we are buddies for life! It may be a little scary and awkward at first to call someone up, but it’s worth it!!
4. THINK POSITIVE
Have you ever gotten home from exercising and thought to yourself, “Well, that was a waste of time.” I know I haven’t! Never once have I gotten home from a run or the gym and wished I hadn’t gone. When the alarm clock goes off and all I want to do is go back to sleep, I have to remind myself that I will be much happier later in the day for going than I will be if I choose to sleep instead. Maybe you don’t have time to do your whole workout, or maybe your body is too sore and tired to do anything but walk, but that’s no reason to skip exercising! Remind yourself ANYTHING is better than NOTHING!! Do whatever you have time to do, or whatever your body will let you do. Then take a good mental note of how good you felt and how proud you were of yourself for choosing to do something instead of nothing!
5. MAKE A LIST
Sit down and write about why exercising makes you feel good, or is good for you. I made a list of reasons why I love running when I was trying to regain motivation to continue running after taking some time off to have a baby. Re-read your list as many times as you need to! It’s a good reminder that even though we don’t always feel good DURING exercise, we always feel good AFTER when we are reaping the rewards of our hard work!
6. SIGN UP FOR SOMETHING
Exercising day after day can feel so monotonous and pointless if you don’t have a goal to works towards, so pick a goal and go for it! There are endless possibilities of things to sign up for such as 5k’s, bike races, zumba class, triathlons, yoga class, walk-a-thons, half-marathons, horse shows, snow shoe races, etc. etc. It doesn’t matter if your goal is to simply finish, or improve your performance from the last time. All that matters is that you have a goal to work towards, and thinking of that goal is sometimes all it takes to get yourself moving.
7. RECORD YOUR PROGRESS
Even if it’s simply writing in your planner “go to gym” and being able to cross that off your “to do” list at the end of the day. I’ve come to realize that it’s not the exercise that I’m addicted to, it’s the feeling of accomplishment. Marathons aren’t exactly fun. A grueling 26.2 miles of blisters, fatigue, and feeling like you’ll never be able to walk normal again is not why I keep coming back for more. It’s the feeling I have when I cross the finish line. The satisfying feeling of accomplishment that only comes after hard work and effort. Record your progress however you like, but just make sure you are feeling that sense of accomplishment somehow because that’s what will FOR SURE keep you coming back for more!!
Those are a few things that have helped me stay motivated to exercise. Now we want to hear what motivates YOU to exercise. Please share, because I’m sure we’re ALL looking for a little extra motivation (especially with swim suit season just around the corner)!
