Studies that examined motivation to exercise or to lose weight have shown that the most enduring source of behavior change is internal motivation. That is, the more a person’s motivation comes from within, as opposed to some outside agent (e.g., doctor, spouse), the more likely it is that behavior change will continue.
Now that you know the types of motivation, let me ask you a few more questions to help to determine your internal motivation.
- How far away from your goal are you?
- How long has it been since you were at your goal, if ever?
- What do you think has happened during that time that has caused you to not be at your goal?
- How did you feel when you were at your goal, or at your best?
- How does it feel today, not being where you want to be?
- Why do you want to be at your goal, what do you think life would be like, would it be better?
Those may be some tough questions for you to answer but once you know the “why” behind your decision to get healthy, then, and only then, can you begin your complete journey.
Knowing is the first step, the 2nd step is determining how you are going to STAY motivated. Motivation is a powerful but sometime fleeting emotion. That is where goal setting comes in to play, I could talk for hours on goal setting and the benefits of having goals but I will start with this. “You can’t hit a target that you can’t see”. You have to have close range targets and long range targets. If you only have a long term goal, it can seem overwhelming. Make sure you have a mix of goals. You may even want to have daily and weekly goals, but you have to set some type of measureable goal. That is why we stress goal setting during your on-going assessments with our fitness staff.
Determine what internally motivates you and set at least one long term goal and one short term goal.
We recommend scheduling a tour at your local fitness center to learn if they offer the equipment, classes, personal training, and atmosphere you are looking for. If you are not sure where to tour, we invite you to visit our club!
Click here to schedule a tour and speak with a Membership Coordinator