Motivation

Motivation, the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way. The dictionary says motivation is a noun. I suppose it must be since it is a thing. I asked several people what motivates them to exercise and received some interesting responses. 

Almost everybody who responded is exercising because of somebody else. The body is the temple of God, to be healthier and more active with my family and friends were some responses. Being eye-candy was also mentioned. The responses to my question basically involved being there for others. This is a great motivator particularly when those others are your immediate family. I come up with, find, and commit to working out for my family, eye-candy for my wife, general eye-candy, and ego. I want to be able to go at lest as far, as fast, and as hard core as people half my age. But, getting to this point took re-framing my initial view of working out.

It comes down to want. Many people 'want' to be there for their children. some 'want' to be sexy. Some do it because they 'want' to be healthier. It all comes from what we want. That can also become the need, if chosen in a positive way. 

Designing your routine to be fun helps. Seriously, make it fun. If slogging through repetition after repetition, set after set is not fun, then what is? If you get bored with lifting weights, lift your body. Maybe you should try swimming for a set period of time trying to go further each time you get back into the pool.

Maybe you like to see numbers adding up. I like to watch the Calories Burned function of my fitness tracker stack up. It feels grand to watch those numbers add up.

Perhaps you have read enough of the success stories to have decided that now it is your turn. You've been watching people drop pounds on a weekly basis on TV and you have made the leap into the game yourself. If they can do it, then so can you. The truth is, you can.

The trick is finding your want and aiming for that. Just like with any other goal setting, this also takes time to become a habit. Once fitness becomes a habit you can write it into your lifestyle as a daily habit. Whether it is going for a walk with your daughter three or four times a week, having a group of friends to count on, a more active future, self-improvement, or that ego boost when you catch someone scoping out your hard earned shape are all good reasons. 

I urge you to find your reason. What is that reason? Fitting into new clothes, a chance to contemplate issues on your mind, the adrenaline pump? Feel free to put your reasons in the comments below. It just might help motivate someone else.