What Motivates You?

Shawn Perine
Mon, 05 May 2014 21:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

Most of the people I see around me at the gym each day slog through their workouts as if they'd lost a bet. Listless, distracted and bored would be the best adjectives to describe their demeanor. On the other hand, a select few appear focused, engaged and truly motivated to be there.

Which of these two scenarios best describes you? I'm hoping it's the latter, but odds are good it may be the former, which I should add, is no sleight on you. In fact, consider it a badge of honor: Despite a lack of motivation, you still manage to pull yourself together to get to the gym on a regular basis. That can't be easy! But it doesn't have to be that way.

The secret to being fully engaged with your training is to determine what motivates you, in a very clear, very specific way. Most everyone knows that exercise is good for them and is a proven preventative against a number of things that can shorten and decrease quality of life. That's great. That's not, however, motivating in any meaningful way. It's merely a reason, and we don't become impassioned by reason.
Updated: Tue May 06, 2014

Most of the people I see around me at the gym each day slog through their workouts as if they'd lost a bet. Listless, distracted and bored would be the best adjectives to describe their demeanor. On the other hand, a select few appear focused, engaged and truly motivated to be there.

Which of these two scenarios best describes you? I'm hoping it's the latter, but odds are good it may be the former, which I should add, is no sleight on you. In fact, consider it a badge of honor: Despite a lack of motivation, you still manage to pull yourself together to get to the gym on a regular basis. That can't be easy! But it doesn't have to be that way.

The secret to being fully engaged with your training is to determine what motivates you, in a very clear, very specific way. Most everyone knows that exercise is good for them and is a proven preventative against a number of things that can shorten and decrease quality of life. That's great. That's not, however, motivating in any meaningful way. It's merely a reason, and we don't become impassioned by reason.

Inspiration must be tied to emotion, and if you want to be the kind of person who looks forward to exercising and who does so with energy and a sense of purpose, then you must create an emotional impulse. Maybe my own example may help explain this concept better.

As I've recounted in this column, I discovered bodybuilding when I was a kid — in the form of the book "Pumping Iron." In that book I saw images of guys such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu and Lou Ferrigno that rocked my world. I was scrawny and weak, and they looked like the superheroes in my comic books. In the example set by these men I saw a chance to become larger, stronger and more confident. I saw the act of "pumping iron" as a path to my own manhood, and not just your run-of-the-mill manhood, but uber-manhood. I wanted girls to be awed and guys to be envious when they saw my physique on the beach. And so, as soon as my parents deemed me old enough, I began lifting weights and haven't stopped in the 35 years since.

Clearly, there was a strong emotional component to my own fitness journey, and this is what you also need if you want to look forward to each workout rather than dread it. So, ask yourself, "Why do I exercise?" In coming up with an answer (or answers), try to get as specific as possible. Your answer shouldn't be "because I want to be healthier" or "I want to lose weight." Everyone wants those things. They're nebulous ideals that won't inspire you to take action. Consider these examples:

— My dad died of a heart attack when I was young, and I want to be around a long time for my own kids.

— I refuse to make excuses as to why I can't join my friends at the beach anymore.

— I want to be able to play with my grandchildren until they get tired.

— My spouse is committed to getting healthy, and I know that if I don't join in we will grow apart.

— Not only will I not let my congenital condition keep me down, I'm going to overcome it!

Everyone — and I mean everyone — has a specific reason for wanting to be fitter, stronger and healthier. You are the only person who can figure out what that reason is, but once you do, write it down. Don't type it. Write it — in marker, on a sheet of paper, and stick that paper on a mirror in your bedroom or put it by your computer. Recite it every day. Make an emotional connection between the idea behind those words and physically acting on them. See the face of the loved one you're exercising for or the image of yourself looking great in a bathing suit as you recite your reason. If you do this in earnest, you'll see emotion become motivation, and, in turn, motivation will become action.

For me, it was simply a matter of seeing photos of Arnold, and I was off to the races (or the gym, as it were). I'm willing to bet that you have far more significant reasons in your own life for exercising than wanting to look like Arnold. Find them, concentrate on them, and let their emotional impact fuel your workouts. Once they do, I guarantee your relationship with exercise will become a much more gratifying and enjoyable one.