- I thought this was pretty motivational (at least for me anyway) Tell me what you think of it!
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- The heavier you are, the more calories you will burn. Now is the time to take advantage of one of the few perks that come with having some extra pounds to move around. You don’t really want to wait until you’re one of those poor skinny people who has to spend hours on the elliptical machine to burn a few calories, do you? Where’s the fun in that? Make that calorie counter hum.
Hopefully now you’re willing to give this a try and see what happens. Next we'll discuss the subsequent problem you’ll probably face after you get over the first hump of beating the inertia and the initial discomfort. You don’t want to let this one catch you unprepared.
This problem involves coming to terms with one of the true mysteries of human nature: forgetting important lessons we learn each day, forcing us to relearn them again—sometimes the hard way. You’d think that once you’ve figured out that exercise is important, that it does good things for you, and that it isn’t so bad once you get going, you’d have a pretty easy time getting yourself off the couch for the next exercise session, right?
Wrong.
It will get easier. And somewhere along the way it may even become second nature. But for a while, as far as your daily motivation is concerned, it may seem like you have to reinvent the wheel every day. I don’t know why this happens, but you would be wise to expect that you’ll routinely forget how good you feel after the exercise, and you’ll likely need some way to remind and persuade yourself to keep going. Here’s what I’d suggest; it worked for me.
Keep a “Before-During-After” Exercise Journal This is a very simple and basic journal, in which you keep track of three things for each of your exercise sessions:
- How you’re feeling and what you’re thinking as you are getting ready for your exercise session. Write down any thoughts you’re having about working out—especially negative ones. If you decide to skip exercise, make sure write that, along with the reason, and how you feel about your decision. This doesn’t need to be any more complicated than simply noting factual observations. DON”T try to psychoanalyze yourself or lecture yourself about what you did wrong, etc.
- Describe exactly what you did during your workout: time spent, activity, distance/amount, heart rate, how you felt physically at the beginning, during, and after the session—again, just the simple facts.
- Note any changes or improvements from your last session. Did you walk further or longer? Did swimming feel easier or harder? Were you more or less tired, sore or strong? Did the session leave you feeling positive, invigorated, and glad you did it—or do you wish you had listened to that little voice telling you to stay on the couch?
Once every week (or as often as you find helpful), spend some time looking over your recent journal entries. Check your physical progress, look for patterns in your physical, emotional, and psychological responses to the exercise, and try to draw some conclusions for yourself, based on your recorded experience.
This journal can do several very important things for you. It can help you make sure you’re exercising safely and at an effective level of intensity. If you’re always sore, rarely feel invigorated and refreshed; or if you aren’t improving regularly, or any experiencing any mental or emotional benefits, you’re probably either working too hard or not hard enough, and need to adjust things accordingly. You can use your journal to track and compare your adjustments to see what actually works for you.
And most importantly, you’re creating something you can turn to over and over again when you aren’t feeling motivated to exercise. All the expert advice and theory in the world can’t convince you of the benefits of exercising the way your own testimony can. So, next time you don’t feel like exercising, just pull out your journal and let yourself be persuaded by your favorite expert—yourself.
curious
accomplished
determined
Motivated!