Workout Wednesday! Are You Motivated? No? Then Read On....

Today is your day to workout.  You know you need to.  You haven't done anything in a week and your treadmill is now officially a clothes hanger. You don't have the urge whatsoever to throw on workout clothes and hit the gym, your bicycle for a ride, or your favorite walking/running path.  You feel like sitting a bit longer at the computer checking Facebook, or emails, or procrastinating by watching the next TV show when you told yourself that you would leave after the the one you were watching ended.


Does this sound familiar?


Do these pics LOOK familiar?

*Do you watch your dog instead of taking them outside to run?*

*Do you use your treadmill for eating or sleeping?*

Where did your motivation go?   What is stopping you from starting to exercise?


Procrastination
For every action there is a cause-a "trigger".


The four biggest triggers are excuses, habits, fears, and negative thoughts.  These are the four big motivation stoppers.  Think about WHY you procrastinate.  Do you make excuses?  Is there some bad, unhealthy habits that you need to stop and change to good ones? Do you rationalize everything?    Are you fearful or intimidated by exercising?  And do the words, 'can't', 'shouldn't', 'not', and other negatives overtake your good thoughts and intentions? 


These triggers instantly produce behaviors and decisions that progress to daily and lifelong outcomes-these triggers are subconsciously accepted without being truly identified as a procrastination tool.


Dealing with these negative triggers can change your habits and thoughts, leading a healthier lifestyle.  By creating motivation, you are able to set realistic goals and objectives.


Some types of motivation include:


Intrinsic Motivation-Having a true sense of obligation, personal benefit and enjoyment, and significance to what you want to achieve.


Extrinsic Motivation-Externally generated from people, objects, and your environment. You are extrinsically motivated when your task or activity benefits others, results in money and/or material possessions.


Reward-Created Motivation-Building high levels of motivation from earning rewards.  The rewards need to be consistently reinforced and in close proximity to the actions you are rewarding to be successful and motivating. 


Human Need Motivation- Our needs that include things such as connection with others, certainty, power, growth, significance and freedom.


Goal-Setting Motivation-This is critical in our lives to keep up moving forward towards better things.
To do this you can use the S.M.A.R.T. Principle:


S.pecific, A.djustable/A.ction-oriented, R.ealistic, and T.ime-based.


By using these principles, each time you set a goal, you are bound to achieve it!


Now back to your exercising.....are you feeling motivated yet? :-)  Use these tips, change your ways, and like the old Nike slogan says, "Just Do It"! 


Enjoy your Wednesday!


~Merri Lou