I am in a “Fitness Motivation” group on Facebook. I had to block the groups notifications. There is so much negativity and people complaining that they “lack motivation” rather than helping to inspire one another to move their bodies.
Truth be told, I joined this group not to inspire myself, but rather to learn what other people are struggling with and creative ways to solve people’s motivational struggles. I joined it to develop my tools as a trainer, in order to help people stay motivated and inspired in their fitness journey at our studio. I figured that if I can be around the ones who are struggling and learn from them, I will be a better asset for the people who walk into our doors, needing motivation and accountability and are eager to make the lifestyle change. The things is that people, especially in this group, have proved to me that many people are not eager to make the lifestyle change, and that that excitement tends to diminish really really quickly. Truth be told, I struggle when I go to comment and respond to some of these posts, so I don’t. I stay quiet because my thoughts are more than “you got this… keep going,” which is the way so many people respond. My thoughts are honestly worth more…
My thoughts- if you want to be motivated for fitness you need to find fun it in. I hate going to the “box gym.” I find treadmills awful. I cringe at the thought of putting together a lifting schedule and sticking with it. Not only do I hate going to the gym, I hate home workouts. After 2 weeks of hearing the same thing with the same program, I am bored. And when I am bored, it is really easy to skip. As we all know, “skipping” doesn’t help you get results. Instead, you build on your excuses. And your excuses become your way of life, your habit, your crutch.
Therefore, I know that the typical box gym/ home workout mindset will never work for me. In fact, it will probably send me backwards. Being an athlete, I never had a problem staying in shape when I was “in season.” Between practices and games, I was moving my body in a way that allowed me to feel confident and proud. A lot changed when mandatory practices and crazy game schedules no longer became a way of life. That is when I tried box gyms and home workouts. That is when I learned that those don’t work. That is when I knew I needed to find motivation in a different way. That is when I stepped way out of my comfort zone and started kickboxing.
And guess what… It was fun! I was learning a new skill! I was meeting like-minded people that kept me focused and accountable. I felt like I was part of a team and had people rooting for me. Because I had the support and fun behind it, I saw results. I continued to show up, even on days that I didn’t want to because I knew that I would feel better after I completed my workout.
The more positive reinforcement I received, the more my mindset and confidence grew. This confidence spread to other areas of life. I felt more motivated, inspired, and accountable to being the person I wanted to be. And because of this, the excuses disappeared.
Unfortunately, people in that group on facebook don’t want to hear my “change your perspective” approach to motivation and fitness. Instead other reasons come up as to why they can’t check out something new. It takes too much time or it is expensive are among the many objections that arise. It is frustrating for me, Mrs. Motivated, to listen to them no wanting to change the way the approach fitness. The question becomes is it really all the excuses… or are they just scared to try something new. Because when you try something new, you grow, you change, you learn, and that experience gives you knowledge about yourself that helps you define yourself in a different way, a way that you probably don’t know or even understand yet. And that unknown is scary, and maybe exciting all at the same time.
So what if you tried kickboxing and just really “don’t like it” I get it, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. But what about cross fit, yoga, cardio drumming, zumba, a dance class… there are so many ways to get fit and learn to stay inspired instead of trying to inspire yourself with treadmills and dvds. Get out. Try. Surround yourself with people who are accomplishing something. Be inspired. And when that happens, motivation grows and flourishes, and ultimately comes easy.
