Your motivation to get in shape is probably different from your neighbor’s, your friends or even a family member’s. It should be something you truly want to do or you can expect less than stellar results. I can’t tell you how many clients have told me they want to get in better shape because their spouse said they needed to do it. Many of those people failed and those that succeeded actually had their own inner motivation, besides the spouse’s urging. You need to own your motivation to get through the tough parts.
One exception may be the doctor’s suggestion.
You may decide to start a healthy eating program combined with exercise if your doctor suggests it. While it might seem the motivation is coming from the doctor, it’s not. Your desire to be healthy and live longer is what actually gives you motivation, the doctor’s warning just stimulated it and drew it to your attention. Getting healthier means living longer, enjoying life more, suffering less and having more time with your family. I have many older people who want to be able to enjoy their grandchildren and be healthy at their high school graduation and wedding, even seeing the next generation and enjoying them.
You want to have more energy.
There’s no doubt about it, working out and a healthy diet can boost your energy level. For people with this motivation, it’s truly difficult to start a workout program. Often they start when they find they don’t have the energy to do their daily tasks, so adding a program of exercise seems overwhelming. This problem can be solved by starting slow and adding exercise to the daily routine a bit at a time. Depending on the level of exhaustion, it may mean just working out five or ten minutes at a time throughout the day. After a short while, those workouts can be longer and only once a day. If you’re in this category, you’ll be amazed at how much easier your daily tasks become after just a month.
You want to lose weight or have a better looking body.
There’s no doubt about it, exercise will make you look better, but you need to eat healthy, too. The two are inseparable if you want a great looking body and the most effective means of losing weight. You can’t out exercise a poor diet, but you won’t have a toned, shapely body without it. Exercise also helps you build muscle tissue, which burns more calories than fat tissue does. You’ll boost your metabolism to help the pounds drop.
- Exercise and a healthy diet will help you stay younger looking and feeling longer. Not only do the two put more years on your life, they put more life in those years.
- Exercise can boost your brain power and help you think clearer. It’s a real asset for anyone whose job is deskbound and can improve your work performance.
- Exercise can improve your mood. There’s a lot of studies that show exercise can help people who suffer from depression, anxiety and even dementia. It burns off the hormones of stress and triggers the release of happy hormones that make you feel good.
- Find your motivation. Make it one that truly drives you. Getting in shape can be tough and you need a strong reason when that happens to keep you on the right path.