How to Find Motivation for Exercise
So you have made the decision to increase your workout regime and up the ante, so to speak. Maybe you wish to shed a few pounds, tone your abs or just increase your overall fitness. What ever the reason, making this decision is the first step towards achieving your goals.
But sometimes just having the motivation to actually get up and do it can be quite challenging. There can be many different factors contributing to lack of motivation for exercise, such as poor diet, inadequate sleep or just not having a clear goal. Whatever the reason, the simple fact of the matter is, if you don’t have the energy stores needed to support your body through the exercises you have planned, you are going to fade fast or even not get started at all.
Though having energy is important, it’s not just our physical body that lets us down, sometimes our minds are the ones holding us back. So here are some factors and tips to consider to help you find that motivation you need so you can achieve your fitness goals:
The Right Balance of Sleep
This doesn’t just mean getting enough sleep, though this is very important, it also means not over sleeping. Physically the muscles of your body need sleep, because it is then that the majority of the growth hormone (HGH) is released. This means if you have been working out hard, this is the most effective time for your body to build and repair any muscles fibres you have stressed and damaged! But if you are over sleeping, the mind becomes sluggish and the body can feel as though it hasn’t had enough sleep, even though it has actually had too much! This disrupts the body’s natural sleep cycle and serotonin levels, which can leave you feeling lethargic and unmotivated. Most adults need between 7-9 hours sleep, so try to find the sleep amount that works best for you and stick to it, even on the weekends!
Healthy Balanced Diet
Making sure your diet is healthy and balanced is very important, as it ensures you are getting all the correct nutrients you need to maintain a healthy, energised body. This means a diet rich in complete proteins, such as red meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy and soy products, complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, brown rice and oats, as well as a variety of fruits and vegetables. Many people avoid complex carbs because they are worried about gaining weight, when actually carbohydrates are your body’s first choice for energy. So if you have been cutting carbs from your diet, you may be feeling lethargic and unmotivated.
Keeping Hydrated
We all know we need to drink water and plenty of it, but did you know that lack of water can leave you feeling tired and unmotivated? Water makes up about 70% or the body, including muscles and blood cells. If you are starting to dehydrate then your body will want to conserve what little it has and discourage you from getting up and burning more of it off (you will feel tired!). So try to drink 6+ glasses of water per day. Tip: When you wake up your body is often quite dehydrated because it has had no water for 8+ hours, so an easy way to give yourself an energy boost for your morning exercise is to drink a big glass of water as soon as you wake up!
Pre- workout supplements
If you are really keen to work out and work out hard, then maybe you should look into a pre-workout supplement to help give your body the extra energy kick it needs to not only tackle your workout head first, but keep giving it the effort required right up till the last rep! There are many different pre-workout supplements available on the market, some more effective than others. So shop around, ask your local pharmacist, or fitness expert what they recommend based on your requirements and find one that works well for you.
Visualising success
There is a reason you have chosen to increase your exercise, maybe you want to shed a few pounds, tone up those abs, or just be able to climb those stairs at work without needing to change your shirt afterwards! Having a firm goal set in your mind is powerful motivation for exercise, use it! Visualise how you will look and feel once you have achieved this goal and use this to push yourself through each workout and food craving. You can do it!
Why not join in with the Motivation for Exercise conversation in our 66fit LinkedIn group? You can also find us on Facebook as 66fit Australia, 66fit UK and 66fit Deutschland.
