Let’s face it, beginning something new is one of the toughest things to do. The routine is not established yet and you have to deal with the learning curve, figuring out what works and what does not work.
A common personal goal is to begin an exercise routine at the gym. Usually when someone starts going to the gym, it is because of some external, or extrinsic, motivating factors i.e. can’t get into your skinny jeans anymore, just got on the scale after the holidays, have a new love relationship and you want to look your best or preparing for a physical challenge i.e. your first triathlon.
These are excellent reasons to get started, but they will not keep you going for the long run.
I know because I was there too. Although I am involved in sports, I did not enjoy working out at the gym. I knew weight training would help build muscle, add strength and make me a better athlete. The thought of working out indoors was torturous.
To really stick with your new gym routine internal, or intrinsic, motivators are necessary. These are your particular reasons which keep you going even when it is uncomfortable, inconvenient or you stop seeing immediate results. The trick is to have your personal reasons aligned with your values and your goals.
I realized just getting stronger was not enough of a motivator. So I had to dig deeper. I had a recurring lower back injury. After many trips to different practitioners for relief I decided it was time to do some preventative medicine. Strengthening my core muscles would help to avoid a repetitive injury.
If your external reason for going to the gym goes away, i.e. you broke up with your new sweetie, then you will eventually stop showing up at the gym. Your new routine of exercising didn’t have enough motivation to “stick it out” for the long run, no matter what.
Some personal motivators include:
– Your body feels better and you have more energy. – You are proud of the effort you are putting in and seeing results. – You are committed to being active.
Finding a routine you enjoy, meeting other like-minded people and realizing you have more energy now than you have felt in years. These are the internal motivators. They will take a new activity and start molding it into a new habit, eventually you will develop a pattern.
Finding a personal reason to work out which had meaning to me made the difference. Once the decision had been made to prevent further pain from lower back injury all of the resistance melted away.
Creating the self image of being fit, knowing the value from quality of life you receive from exercising regularly and the secondary benefits you have gained i.e. less stress, more energy and looking younger will transition your new behavior into a lifestyle choice.
Challenge: What’s something new you are doing? Do you know your reason for beginning this new thing? Write them down. Next determine if you have a combination of external and internal reasons. Now here is the real clue to how deeply committed you are to this new activity,
if all of your external motivators were to go away today would you still remain deeply committed to continuing with your new activity? If yes, then congrats on having those personal reasons. If not, see if you have some personal reasons to do this for yourself. In the long run it will make a difference.