So what exactly is motivation? We applaud those who achieve something great and always, no matter what give some kind of credit to their motivation. On the other side of things, if someone fails at something, regardless of what it is, society is quick to give a reason credited to a lack thereof motivation.
It’s a general tendency for most to believe that motivation is a personal trait, believing “some people have it and the others don’t.” In fitness, some people are labeled to be lazy because they do not display an outward sign of motivation. However, individuals differ in their basic motivational drives & also depends upon their areas of interest. The concept of motivation is situational and it’s level varies between different individuals and at different times. If you understand what motivates you, you have at your command the most powerful tool for accomplishing fitness & weight-loss success(as well as everything else in life).
Motivation is a very vague term, and is used to loosely in my personal opinion. Most experts in Psychology & otherwise-related Professionals agree that there are seven types of motivation:
(1) Achievement Motivation: It is the drive to pursue and attain goals. An individual with achievement motivation wishes to achieve objectives and advance up on the ladder of success. Here, accomplishment is important for its own shake and not for the rewards that accompany it.
(2) Affiliation Motivation: It is a drive to relate to people on a social basis. People with affiliation motivation perform work better when they are complimented for their favorable attitudes and co-operation.
(3) Competence Motivation: It is the drive to be good at something, allowing the individual to perform high quality work. Competence motivated people seek job mastery, take pride in developing and using their problem-solving skills and strive to be creative when confronted with obstacles. They learn from their experience.(4) Power Motivation: It is the drive to influence people and change situations. Power motivated people wish to create an impact on their organization and are willing to take risks to do so.
(5) Attitude Motivation: Attitude motivation is how people think and feel. It is their self confidence, their belief in themselves, their attitude to life. It is how they feel about the future and how they react to the past.
(6) Incentive Motivation: It is where a person or a team reaps a reward from an activity. It is “You do this and you get that”, attitude. It is the types of awards and prizes that drive people to work a little harder.
(7) Fear Motivation: Fear motivation coercions a person to act against will. It is instantaneous and gets the job done quickly. It is helpful in the short run.
These seven types of motivation are definitely per the individual, given the current circumstances, and still may not apply to you at all during any point in your life. Why? Again, remember you’re an individual with unique circumstances & individual factors that make you-yourself tick.
Using these generally accepted seven different types of motivation is where most trainers fail. Because each trainer is also an individual with unique characteristics, they sometimes tend to use the same type of motivation with each of their clients, assuming that since it worked for Jane it will work for Joe, not the case. Although there are certain things that make me tick & motivate me, doesn’t mean I need to tell Jane she “should have the desire to be the absolute best at everything she does, don’t just do your best-be the best.” Is that my personal train of thought, yes. Does that mean that Jane is going to jump on that bandwagon and get going because of it? Absolutely not.
Every client/fit-goer is a unique individual with circumstances and needs like none other before, and therefore deserves to have someone locate and teach them how to use those key motivators. So don’t plan on trying to use all seven types of motivation listed above, don’t even worry about reading too far into any of them. Simply take a minute & look back at your life over the past 5 years, now 10 years, now 20. What times of the year did you find enjoyment in activity and/or fitness? What times of the year have become more of a trouble over the years? What things do you see on a semi-regular basis that instantly motivates you or makes you think “man I would love to look like that?” Believe it or not, I’ve had men tell me after they saw Ryan Reynolds on the cover of Men’s Health magazine they went to the gym that day, or the very next morning and train harder than they have in years! In the same fashion, I’ve had femaies come & tell me they were watching television and saw Jessica Alba doing some type of crazy core workout & felt motivated to get up & go run right that moment. Although I wouldn’t recommend or condone comparing yourself to a celebrity and expecting that body the very next day, if it motivates you-have at it (within reason)! I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve personally seen a movie recently with Vin Diesel & D’Wayne Johnson (aka “the Rock”) in it (Fast5), and even as a Fit Pro/Personal Trainer, I felt instantly motivated to hit the gym and put some work in! That might not work for you, but once we find what it is that works for you-you will feel that instant sensation rolling through your body too, itching to get moving & sweaty and accomplish something! This is why motivation is so important!
Your causes for losing motivation with your fitness training aren’t going to be the same causes as mine, and even if they are-it doesn’t mean that we are going to be able to correct it with the same solution. We’re all individuals, and therefore need unique solutions that suit our needs. No cookie-cutter B.S. here.
Whichever choice I make at this point, is a decision fueled by my motivation to do so. We are motivated to make every choice we make in life, and people accept the misconception that sometimes some of our fuel for success(motivation) gets taken from one area of our life and used for another area of our life. This is how some people justify to themselves sitting around the house with potato chips and soda pop slothing, because they worked a 12 hour shift at work and feel they deserve it (wrong by the way).
The fact is motivation is motivation and success is success. What does this mean? If someone is typically motivated to do better and successful at other aspects in their life, chance are if they make the decision to get fit and change their life-their motivation cues are already acclimated to the drive needed to succeed and thus they are more likely to succeed. However, this doesn’t mean if you’re not typically a driven and motivated individual in other aspects of your life, you can’t be in your fitness training and weight loss program. It only means you need an excellent program and the right mentor/trainer to learn the psychological aspects of your uniqueness, and to put it in simple terms: figure out what makes you tick.
I could go on and on about motivation problems I’ve seen, tricks of the trade to get out of the rut and re-motivate, but I won’t because like stated in the above-every individual has unique circumstances and unique buildings that make them tick or stop ticking. Therefore, even if I post my top 100 ways to stay motivated, there is still going to be half of you reading that those 100 tips don’t help or apply to. If you have specific concerns/issues with getting motivated and/or staying motivated, you’re free to stop by or give us a call anytime to schedule a sit down and figure out what works for you. But until then, I’ve posted 13 quick tips below to help you get a jolt of motivation. But to truly determine what motivates you, and how to sustain that level of motivation throughout your program, get with a Fit Pro/Personal Trainer. Even a few sessions with a trainer can shine a lot of light on what makes you-yourself tick. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one of our Personal Trainers here at Fitness Mastermind (even though I highly recommend it ;} ), regardless of who it is or where they train-meet with them & let them help you determine what fuels your individual drive & motivation.
13 Quick Tips To Get Instant Jolt of Motivation:
(2) Work out with a friend. Not only can this help you actually get to your workout appointment, but friends can help encourage each other to work out with more intensity.
(3) Set a regular time for fitness. If you have fitness time incorporated into your schedule, it's much easier to stick with it, especially over time.
(4) Find exercise activities that you enjoy. Whilst it's important to have a balanced workout, there are many ways to build muscle and strength, flexibility, and get aerobic exercise. List the types of activities you enjoy, or think you might enjoy, and start working through all of them. You could even rotate them every 6 weeks.
(5) Build variety into your program. Not only does this make it more interesting, you'll actually work different muscle groups, or the same muscles but in a different way. The challenges we create for our body in adapting to new types of exercises results in a fitter and stronger body. Change your program every 6 weeks.
(6) Try new fitness activities - Try boot camp, boxing, plates, yoga, or kickboxing.
(7) Frame the thought of exercise in a positive way in your mind. Even if you don't like exercise, try and think of it in a positive way - that way you are less likely to talk yourself out of it. Think of how good you feel afterwards, not the pain involved in getting there!
(8) Exercise outdoors. Whether it's team sports or swimming, get out in the fresh air!
(9) Try a local fitness challenge or group get together. Whether it’s a free boot camp Saturday, a local 5k/10k, mini-triathlon, or something similar to the Austin Climb event coming up this weekend at the Frost Bank Tower-climbing 660 flights of stairs to benefit the American Lung Association (details here via link: http://www.lungusa.org/pledge-events/tx/austin-climb/)
(10) Try resistance training. Resistance training will increase the size and strength of your muscles, thus preventing injuries. If you're not up to free weights, take a circuit class, or a bodypump class.
(11) If you're tired, or your muscles ache, try something a bit gentler - but don't avoid fitness entirely 'until you feel better'. Swimming is good because it helps support the whole body, and it is still a good workout.
(12) Don't rest too long between sets. Otherwise your workout will take a lot longer to complete, and it could be off-putting mentally the next time you are scheduled to do a workout, especially if you don't have a lot of time that day.
(13) Use a heart rate monitor. That way you can make sure you are working out at the right intensity, thus maximizing your workout time. You'll see improvements a lot more quickly that way.
Here’s a quick tip for motivation we’ve seen positive progress from, try this technique:
- Go through your photo albums and find a picture of yourself in your best shape ever. It may be a photo from your college or even high school days.
- Now go through your photos and find a picture of yourself in your worst shape ever. You may have to go through old shoe boxes of photos, since this photo may not have made it into your photo albums.
- Place the two photos side by side. You at your fittest; you at your fattest. Study the photos. Remember what it felt like to be in great shape. Remember what it felt like to be in terrible shape (you may be living that right now).
- Make a decision. Do you want to continue living your life in bad shape? Or will you shake off past failures and do what it takes to achieve the body you once had?
Share your two photos with one of our professional trainers at Fitness Mastermind. Show them the great body that you once had and together we will get that body back.
That’s it for today! Hope you all are staying dry & out of the Hail we’re getting drowned with here in Round Rock! We go from months and months of drought, to near flooding!
Until next time…
Keep it fit!
Fitness Mastermind, LLC
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