Fitness Motivation
Motivation is the driving force that helps individuals achieve their goals or objectives. It can be both internal and external and can come from various sources such as personal values, beliefs, desires, rewards, recognition, or the support of others. Motivation plays a crucial role in our lives as it determines our commitment, persistence, and enthusiasm towards our tasks. We may lack the energy and determination to pursue our dreams and aspirations without motivation. Therefore, it's essential to cultivate and maintain a positive and motivating mindset to lead a fulfilling and successful life.
While motivation is helpful to get started, it is not beneficial to rely on it to achieve, especially, fitness goals. When you feel the motivation strike, it can be helpful to write out your motivational factors or WHY you began your fitness journey in the first place. This can be helpful when you lose that motivation. You will have something to reference to spark that motivation.
Motivation is crucial to achieving our goals, but relying solely on it might not be beneficial for fitness goals. Writing out the reasons for starting the journey can help reignite motivation. Cultivating a positive mindset is essential for a fulfilling and successful life.
My Health and Fitness Background
There are tons of factors that may affect your motivation, such as my background story. It is okay to recognize those things and give yourself a break if you lose motivation. Getting a professional opinion and recommendation is okay if you struggle with mental health.
So, first off, Let me explain a few things regarding my overall mental health. I have depression and anxiety that surround my cycle, called PMDD. I also have painful cysts. Both things have been a struggle for several years, but I finally got diagnosed in the past three years.
Three years ago, I decided to go off the birth control pill I had been on for ten years. I felt like it was making my anxiety so much worse. Then, over two years, my cycle was regulated, but I learned that 3 of 4 weeks of the month, I struggle horribly with mental health in addition to significant pain from ovarian cysts. I wouldn’t have learned these things about my body had I not gone off of birth control.
After about nine months, the first thing I did was see my Dr. regarding my mental struggles. From there, I got a low-dose prescription for an anti-depressant, which helped my overall mental clarity. I increased doing the things that I love, and my anxiety and depression levels were lower, which was so good. I was finally happy. But I was still in a ton of pain.
Then, after about a year, I went to the Dr. regarding the pain I was experiencing for at least three weeks a month. I thought maybe I had endometriosis or PCOS, but after an ultrasound, it turns out I have neither of those. My OBGYN determined that my body creates cysts, but they don’t go away as quickly during my cycle.
If you did not know, every woman creates cysts during their cycle and burst naturally to be absorbed into the body, which often goes unnoticed. Whereas mine form but take longer to burst and continue to grow before naturally bursting, which causes pain throughout my cycle. So my OBGYN recommended I get back on BC pill with a low estrogen dose, which may commonly affect mental health in women when they take BC. Birth control controls an egg's release and decreases cyst production. So, my pain is gone.
Over the next few months, I struggled a little with my mental health. I almost feel like I did before I left BC three years ago. I do feel relatively a bit better than I did then. I do not have any pain due to the current BC. My depression has been okay, but my anxiety has not been great.
After about a year, I decided to go off BC again. I still was not happy with how it made my mind feel. I now use the Natural Cycles App and my Oura Ring to track my cycle and determine my ovulation window as a form of BC. I recently learned that you can submit your subscription to Natural Cycles to your insurance to cover as BC. So that’s cool.
Fitness Journey 2023
I began my new job at the beginning of 2023. It allows me to work fewer hours and make more money than my previous job. This did help my motivation slightly, but I still struggle with my anxiety and depression. I began my career with a cold, which didn’t help motivate me to work out. I tried to focus on my nutrition and walking on my treadmill during this time to help build the habit. However, my on-and-off fitness journey continued throughout 2023.
Motivation to Keep up Health and Fitness Goals
Remember ‘Why’
Remembering why we started can be a powerful motivator to keep going, especially when faced with challenges or obstacles. It can help us stay focused on our goals and remind us why we embarked on our journey in the first place. Whether it's to improve our health, achieve financial stability, or pursue a passion, remembering our why can give us the energy and determination to keep pushing forward.
Overall longevity. I want to be healthy and mobile well into old age to continue to do the things I love.
Proper nutrition and consistent workouts are helpful for my overall physical health. I want to be healthy long-term, so I want to take care of my body.
Doing things for me is helpful for my overall mental health. I want to continue caring for myself and working on my hobbies. Skincare and proper hygiene are going to be beneficial for my future self.
Physical Health
First off, I am not too happy with how my body looks. It is not horrible, but I have other physique goals that I want to achieve, and I feel like I am going in the opposite direction. So, that is one factor that is motivating me right now. I am uncomfortable and must do the work required to make those changes.
Mental Health
Taking care of my body and physical activity positively improves my mental health, so proper nutrition and daily workouts are goals I am working to improve. I also want to take my dog, Lyla, for a walk daily to get myself outside more and add more steps to my day, even if it is a 20-minute walk.
Another few things I want to work on for myself may be super simple, but they significantly help my mental health. Mostly, these are part of my daily morning/evening routines.
Workout daily - 4 strength training days and three runs/week
Keep up on skin care morning/evening
Brush teeth morning/evening (IYKYK)
Shower daily
Get ready for the day: hair & makeup
Journal every night
On non-work days, I need to change clothes, so I do not wear clothes I slept in, even if they’re just clean, comfy clothes.
Read nightly - reading on my Tablet before bed helps me fall asleep. I read a few pages and then fall asleep with my book. I don’t lose my place and can read in the dark since it has a backlight.
Listen to audiobooks daily - a lot of my day is spent driving & working by myself. I also like to listen to audiobooks while I crochet or do papercraft.
Listen to podcasts daily - a lot of my day is spent driving & working by myself.
Save room for creativity
Having some alone time for myself - ideally at home alone. But if schedules don’t always allow it, at least take alone time in a separate room.
Accountability
Fitness accountability is an important aspect of achieving one's fitness goals. It involves setting specific targets, tracking progress, and holding oneself accountable for sticking to a workout routine and healthy eating habits. Many people find it helpful to have a workout partner or hire a personal trainer to increase accountability and motivation. Various fitness apps and online communities also support and encourage achieving fitness goals. Accountability is critical to staying consistent and committed to a healthy lifestyle.
Filling out my habit tracker
Track nutrition in MyFitnessPal
Share my workouts on Socials
Give myself some slack - no one is perfect, so how can I expect myself to be perfect? I must remember that I feel more muscle fatigue during my luteal phase than usual. So, lowering the intensity just a little bit will help me keep up my workout routine.
Please keep in mind that these are my personal motivating factors right now. What works for me may not work for you. These are my motivations for RIGHT now and may change over time. It is essential to review your motivating factors to help revive your motivation.
Discipline
Fitness and discipline go hand in hand. Staying fit requires a certain level of discipline and commitment to a regular workout routine and healthy eating habits. Maintaining motivation and consistency over time can be challenging, but developing discipline can help overcome these obstacles.
Discipline involves setting clear goals, creating a plan of action, and sticking to it even when it is difficult or inconvenient. It may require making sacrifices such as waking up early for a workout or avoiding unhealthy foods.
However, the rewards of discipline are worth it, as it helps establish healthy habits that become second nature over time. In addition, discipline can lead to a sense of accomplishment and increased self-confidence that can spill over into other areas of life.
Consistency
Fitness and consistency are closely linked. Consistency is critical to achieving and maintaining fitness goals. Establishing a regular routine and sticking to it over time is important. This includes committing to a regular workout schedule, eating a healthy and balanced diet, and getting enough sleep.
Consistency helps develop muscle memory and improves overall fitness by gradually increasing strength and endurance. It also helps to prevent injuries and setbacks that can occur when workouts are sporadic or inconsistent.
However, consistency does not mean doing the same thing every day. Changing workouts and challenging the body in new ways is essential to prevent boredom and continue making progress. By prioritizing consistency and making fitness a part of daily life, it becomes easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the long term.
Bottom Line
Setting health and fitness goals is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. However, it can be challenging to maintain these goals over time. To ensure that you stay on track, it is important to keep reminding yourself of why you started in the first place. This can help you stay motivated and committed to your fitness journey.
Another crucial aspect of maintaining health and fitness goals is accountability. By setting targets and tracking your progress, you can hold yourself responsible for your actions and stay focused on achieving your goals. This can be done in various ways, such as using a fitness app, keeping a workout journal, or even enlisting the help of a friend or personal trainer.
Discipline and consistency are also key factors in achieving and maintaining health and fitness goals. It is important to establish a regular workout routine and stick to it, even when you don't feel like it. This can help you build healthy habits and make fitness a part of your daily life.
Finally, changing up your workouts is crucial to prevent boredom and injuries. By trying new exercises and workout routines, you can keep your workouts fresh and challenging, which can help you stay motivated and engaged.
By prioritizing these factors, health and fitness can become a part of your daily life for long-term health.
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If you are here and reading this, that means you have an interest in your health and fitness. That is so good; I am so excited for you! Taking care of your body is literally the best thing you can do for yourself in the present and the long term.
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for”
— unknown
I find that quote so inspiring. Hard work will pay off in the future, but you also have to live in the moment, and I feel like taking care of yourself is doing both. You are doing good for yourself now as well as for your future self.
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