Clients at VIP Fitness in Fort Lee, NJ, tell me the two hardest things to overcome on their road to good health are motivating themselves to start a fitness program and pushing themselves each day to go to the gym. It’s the reason that many people think that getting fit is more mental than it is physical. If your brain can’t convince your body to start exercising, you won’t get any benefits. It takes mental toughness to persuade ourselves that pushing hard and exercising are beneficial. It’s also far too easy to say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.”
You need clear goals and a path to reach them.
You’ll improve your chances of success if you have a goal and a way to achieve that goal. Identify the number of pounds if your goal is weight loss. Is your goal 20 pounds, 30, or more? Clearly define the goal. Include the steps it takes and provide a timeline. Make the goal achievable. If losing 30 pounds is your goal, it’s neither possible nor healthy to lose it in two weeks.
Break down the goal into smaller steps that are easy to achieve.
Breaking down the goal into smaller steps you can achieve quickly boosts your motivation and overcomes being overwhelmed. If someone told you that you had to walk from Fort Lee, NJ, to Washington, DC, you would probably protest that it’s too far. You’d say that even if they promised food and shelter along the way. It’s almost 235 miles! If they added you had two months to do it, it would mean walking less than four miles daily, which is an easy, achievable goal. Every day you started to walk, you’d know you were one day closer and might walk further. Breaking down that goal into smaller bites made it easier to accept the challenge.
Keep your goal in front of you.
Keeping your goal in front of you helps remind you what to do to achieve it. Don’t forget to track your progress. Tracking your progress turns it into a game and makes it more fun. If you’re not making progress, it also tells you you’re doing something wrong. Maybe you should change your exercise program or aren’t sticking with your eating plan. It helps to keep a food journal and record everything you eat. You might be surprised that you toss snacks in your mouth without thinking pretty often.
- Don’t always judge your progress by what the scale says. You can use your measurements, or if you’re exercising for health reasons, your blood sugar, blood pressure, or other health indicator.
- It takes more than just exercising and dieting to be your best. Adequate sleep is vital. When you lack sleep, your body produces more ghrelin—the hunger hormone—and less leptin—the satiety hormone. You’ll be hungrier.
- Sticking with a goal and seeing it through to success builds mental toughness. That’s the ability to continue long after others quit. It helps you have the grit to achieve other goals not related to fitness.
- Your attitude determines how motivated you are. If you dread going to the gym and tell yourself it’s awful, the chances of skipping days or quitting increase.
For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center