The art of motivation

So you want to lose your body fat, you want to tone up, you want to feel better in your clothes, you want the wow factor – you want to be a BABE! And you want it more than anything, you really do, you would give anything to be a size 10, to wear the latest fashions, to walk on the beach this summer with your head held high rather than awkwardly trying to slide out of from under your maxi dress whilst lying down so that no one sees the spare tyre that used to be your abs.

You know what to do, you have read enough magazines and articles to know that in its simplest form it’s all about, eat less move more. If your still not sure there are a host of books, DVD,s, websites and gyms out there loaded with info to get you results – with today’s abundance of information not knowing the how part of loosing weight is really not an excuse.

But despite all the info and desire another month has past and your still no closer to the babe you so want to be. So what’s missing?

In a recent opinion poll the main reason for failure to be that person was lack of motivation, despite the often intense desire to succeed some thing gets in the way, and no matter how you say it or what form it comes in the word for it is excuse, whatever the reason is that you didn’t do your workout this morning, or you finished the children’s dinner this evening (whilst preparing yours) it is an excuse, and its stopping you get results.

If you want results the ability to motivate yourself is vital. One of the main reasons people come to me is that they need motivation! But motivation has close friend willpower, and if you put the two together boom – you can do anything!

Motivation often begins extrinsically, ie you want to lose weight for a wedding, to look good on holiday or to seek revenge on an ex partner, this is when motivation can be hard, despite the desire being great. The key is making that motivation intrinsic, ie you start to do it because it makes you feel good and you enjoy it – you have unwittingly created a habit and habit is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

So below are some tips to help motivate you in to motivation!

Start with the end in mind goal setting can help here, and visualisation. Knowing and seeing what you want. If it is the workouts you are struggling with think not of the reasons and excuses that will stop you going but how you feel at the end of the workout, the body you will have and the skinny jeans you will be able to wear to that party. If it’s the evening chocolate bars then ask yourself, is the 2 minute taste of that chocolate bar going to be as good as being a babe on the beach feels?

Play mind games if you’re really short of time or motivation tell yourself you’ll just do a quick 10 minutes, I guarantee you once those endorphins kick in you’ll be going at it with full gusto and won’t want to stop. Grab your Ipod loaded with your favourite tunes and go for it.

Ditch your friends having an exercise or weight loss buddy CAN be great, but it can also be detrimental to your efforts, is your “goal buddy” a good influence on your goals, do they enthusiastically keep every exercise appointment, share the healthy eating plans that are working for them, or do they have an idea of something better you can do than workout, like coffee and donuts?

Beware, these people do not want to see you reach your goals, it will only remind them of their failure, your in this together so you must fail together – I say kick them to the curb girls!

Stick with people you admire spend time with the people you want to be, did you know that you end up becoming the personality of the 5 people you spend most time with, so again choose your friends and company carefully. Ditch the life suckers! Go to motivational seminars and join groups of people working towards the same goals as you. This is why bootcamps are so successful – a group of people on the same journey motivated towards the same goal.

Have a can do attitude you cannot do what you can’t do, so forget it. Dwelling on it will not get you anywhere; instead look at what you CAN do.

Maybe you cannot get out of going for coffee with the group of cake shovelling skinny minis, but you CAN decide to enjoy the coffee and company but forgo the cake.

Maybe you can’t get to the gym everyday for an hour or afford a Personal trainer 3 times a week, but you CAN decide to join a running club or make appointments of half an hour 3 or 4 times a week to workout at home. There are some great at home workout plans about.

Find what it is the motivates you if your not enjoying it then its highly unlikely your going to feel motivated to do it. Exercise comes in many forms, if you find the treadmill tedious (like the rest of us) then forget it, there are loads of options, get outdoors, join a bootcamp, try boxing, swimming, climbing, the list is endless.

Try try and try again one bad day or one stray biscuit does not ruin the whole previous two weeks of focused effort. It happens, life happens – don’t worry, back to your CAN DO attitude. Dust yourself off and try again.

Have your goals to hand and everyday do something to
get you closer towards them, whatever it is.

Whatever you do, do something! Don’t let life pass you by stop wishing and start living!!!!!!