Fitness Motivation

FITNESS MOTIVATION

Experts have identified three central aspects of practical motivation:

1. A realistic starting point
2. The means to maintain progress
3. Specific short-term and long-range goals

Goal Setting

Goal setting is one of the most important factors in maintaining motivation. Goal setting allows you to make a firm commitment to your exercise program. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of choosing unrealistic, hard-to-attain goals. It is especially important to identify positive and realistic short-term goals that are within your grasp.

Such exercise goals should be very specific. You should be able to write out your goals in concise terms and post them in clear view. This will help you keep your goals in mind. An example of this type of goal might be "I will try to lose body fat during the next two months by following a sensible, low-fat diet and engaging in aerobic exercise on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for 30­40 minutes each day." Compare this clearly-defined goal with the following vague objective: "I'll do some exercise two or three days a week." It should prove easier to work toward the first goal on a consistent basis than the more vague one, which could be put off day to day.

It is also helpful to chart your progress toward these specific fitness goals on a daily basis. By doing so, you can see the improvement as it occurs across a set time period. This, in turn, helps keep motivation levels high. When you see visible proof of your improvement, you are more likely to continue with your program. Achieving your goals is the greatest form of motivation. When you achieve one specific goal you can then set new short-term goals. This series of short-term goals should eventually enable you to attain your specific long-range goals.

Your goals should also be flexible. There is no reason to panic if you miss an activity session. By keeping your goals flexible, you can make up for a missed session by adding some extra time to your next training period. Remember, your goals should be clear, but not set in stone.

In addition, set goals that allow you to have fun. Enjoying what you do, whether it is biking, running, weight training or stretching, will make it much more likely that you will stick with your program. This is why your personalized Fitness Expert activity plan includes activities that you already enjoy or are interested in.

When you achieve a specific goal, reward yourself. Besides the personal gratification and sense of accomplishment of attaining that goal and the benefits associated with it, you may want to indulge yourself with a new outfit or piece of athletic equipment.

Moreover, tell someone about your accomplishment. Sometimes the greatest reinforcement comes from others' recognition and approval of your positive accomplishments.

Remaining focused on a specific goal or group of goals motivates you to consistently participate in your activity schedule. There are no better feelings than those of achievement and success. Goal setting can be the key to staying motivated and attaining such success.

Visualization, Mental Rehearsal and Imagery

The mind can actively contribute to improvements in exercise and sport performance. Visualization training may be helpful in improving the skills associated with your activity of choice.

Visualization involves the practice of creating images in your mind associated with a particular activity. By bringing forth positive mental pictures of correctly performed skills in the context of a specific activity, you can convince your mind and body to react in the same way during the actual situation. Your mind cannot tell the difference between such vivid mental pictures and the actual occurrences. Thus, your mind can grow accustomed to reacting and performing in a specific manner through visualization. This will help you perform better when you are actually involved in that activity and environment which you visualized.

To conduct visualization techniques you should attempt to see, hear and feel yourself while you are performing the activity in question. Pay extremely close attention to detail. You should attempt to visualize the sights, sounds, smells, positive emotions, and even the weather and people around you during the activity. The closer your mental picture is to the real thing, the greater the chance for successful visualization.

Mental rehearsal deals with the actual performance of a specific task in your imagination. In short, you imagine yourself going through the exact steps involved in the performance of a specific physical action or movement. For example, a basketball player may mentally rehearse the act of shooting a foul shot, while visualizing the game itself, including the opposing players, fellow teammates, the court and crowd.

Imagery is also used to develop an image of a particular event, but one doesn't take the time to analyze what is occurring in the mental picture. The same basketball player may use imagery techniques to see himself shooting the lay-up, yet might not think about the physical feelings, mental emotions, sounds, smells and sights surrounding that image.

Visualization, mental rehearsal, and imagery can all be used to help improve your technique in a specific activity or sport. It is always better to practice such visualization processes when you are in a state of relaxation.

Indeed, visualization has been found to be most successful when done in non-distracting surroundings while feeling physically and mentally relaxed. The more you can ignore thoughts and emotions that are not related to the task and images you are thinking about, the greater the chance for successful implementation.

In addition, attempt to visualize in color and involve as much specific detail as possible. This detail, combined with the use of your senses, can help make visualization a most effective method of improving performance.

Some people also find it helpful to visualize their goals while exercising. For example, you may want to lose a dress size or two. When you find it difficult to exercise, imagine yourself wearing that special outfit that doesn't fit any longer. All of a sudden, exercise becomes a means to achieve this end. In short, you can see the purpose of your 20 minute swim or walk more clearly than before. This is one of the reasons for setting well-defined goals. Specific goals and the positive emotions and images associated with them are decidedly more effective motivators than ambiguous objectives.

One of the most important aspects of your activity and lifestyle program is that it is based on your own specific desires and objectives. Because your program has been based on scientifically-sound information and accepted exercise principles, you have the means to safely and effectively achieve your fitness goals.

As you progress to new and improved levels of fitness, you may begin to develop an enjoyment of the activities themselves. In this way, exercise can become a source of intrinsic satisfaction and motivation as well as a means toward achieving external rewards.

Be patient and consistent. Use good sense and take things one step at a time. Your program should be tailored to fit into your lifestyle and schedule, making it easy and enjoyable for you to follow your individualized plan.