I’ve been quizzing lots of people on what motivates them to do what it is that’s most important to them. How do they keep moving forward when they’re tired, afraid of failure or success, have laundry to do or people to stalk on facebook?
One of the most common themes is tied to goals and it just so happens that my friend Olivia, who is blogging about her experiences as she travels the world, wrote her latest post on staying motivated to be physically fit. She has this to say:
I need goals. I need to know what I’ve accomplished so I can either stop contentedly or push on for more. If I’m training for something, I can’t miss a workout; it would screw up my entire training schedule, which would drive me nuts.
Maybe it’s our culture’s lack of emphasis on self-discipline or over-emphasis on instant gratification; regardless, I don’t know too many people who find it easy to establish habits simply because it’s good for them. We do better with goals. (Note to self: find some kind of goal that can be tied to vacuuming.) Olivia will no doubt enjoy working out and discover that exercise is an end in and of itself (like vacuuming, right?). However, as she admits, without a training-related goal the chances of jump starting a fitness regiment decline significantly (hence my personal lack of vacuuming).
It doesn’t really matter what motivates you. But if you prefer to train rather than work out, set a goal. It may do just the trick!
Tags: goals
This really has worked for me lately. I am training for the NYC marathon. I am NOT running it, I’m just training for it. I found the training schedule in Outside Magazine. You start in April by running 1.5 miles and build up to run 26 miles by October. Every day I look at the schedule and it tells me how long to run or cross-train. No guesswork, no excuses!! For me, having not just the goal but a proven plan to accomplish the goal has made all the difference.
Lisa – that is awesome! It’s so helpful to have a pre-made plan to follow and I wish you the best. Don’t forget to line up your supporters on the day of your marathon…