This is something I try to establish at the beginning of all my clients training plans. What is their main motivation for taking up exercise? If this motivation is not established then when the training and/or nutrition gets difficult it will be that much easier for them to give up due to having no motivating factor.
This motivating factor is not to be confused with long term goal setting. Anyone can have an end goal but if they aren’t motivated then they will not achieve it.
Signs of Low Motivation
There are several signs of low motivation:
A lack of desire to practice as much as you should.
Less than 100 percent effort in training.
Skipping or shortening training.
Effort that is inconsistent with your goals
So how do we establish a motivating factor?
Well first of all we need to take a look at the two different types of motivation. Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation comes from within, while extrinsic motivation arises from outside. When you’re intrinsically motivated, you engage in an activity solely because you enjoy it and get personal satisfaction from it. When you’re extrinsically motivated, you do something in order to gain an external reward. This can mean getting something in return, such as money, or avoiding getting into trouble, such as losing your job.
So in terms of training, a personal trainer can provide external motivation by praising their client for doing well. While intrinsic motivation comes from the client themself through enjoying the training or by some other means.
Tips to improve motivation
1. Set realistic long term goals:
This is a big factor that people get wrong. If you don’t set realistic goals, then when you aren’t on target to achieve your unrealistic goal you will feel like you are failing, leading to a negative effect on motivation. I would suggest you sit down with your trainer or someone else and set some realistic goals you feel are achievable and reevaluate these goals over the course of your fitness journey.
2. Train with friends/family
Find other people to help cheer you on throughout your fitness journey. This will help you push through difficult times and provide you with that extra motivation to succeed. I personally feel that I train better with others due to my natural competitive instinct kicking in. This doesn’t work for everyone but is worth a shout to see if it helps you.
3. Track your progress
Probably one of the biggest mistakes people make (myself included in the past) is not track their progress when training. As a result you have no idea if you are improving and you are really just going to the gym and ‘winging it’. By tracking progress you are able to visually see progress which in turn provides you with motivation that the process is working and you can keep working towards your end goal.
Some easy ways to track progress are recording:
-body weight
- reps and sets on each exercise
- body fat
- body circumference measurements
-improvements on weight lifted etc
4. Don’t feel defeated if you have a ‘bad’ day or two.
This is one I see a lot. People beat themselves up about not training for a day or two, or eating poorly. This has a negative effect on motivation levels for the coming weeks which massively affects future training and lifestyle habits. I’ve learned to accept that we are all human and will all have small lapses, the trick is to accept these and move on.
5. Focus on yourself
There will always be someone fitter, faster, or more flexible than you. Don’t compare yourself to them. Forget about them. Do not let them deter you from your goal. Your workout time is for you, and about you.
6. Make sure to enjoy it!
Ultimately in order to be motivated to do something you have to be able to enjoy it to a certain degree, so if you don’t enjoy a particular type of training, you are unlikely to keep it up for a long period of time. I suggest you try different types of training to see what one works best for you and what one you enjoy the most.
Quick Summary:
So although I as a personal trainer can help improve my clients motivation to train through external means, ultimately the client themselves will need to take responsibility in motivating themselves away from the gym through other intrinsic ways. Using some of the strategies and tips above can help make your fitness journey an enjoyable and rewarding one.
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