Winter is great for cuddling in blankets, sitting by warm fires, and letting the weight slip onto those sides. Well, the weather will be changing before we know it! That means we have just a few months until you're breaking out the bathing suits and suntan lotion.
If you’ve lost your New Year’s Resolution motivation, it's time to hop back on the fitness train. These 9 facts and motivational quotes will help get you going!
1. It’s the journey, not the destination!
Remember small fitness goals that will lead to the overall goal. Striving for small goals will help you love yourself so much more. Remember that not everything has to be perfect and the sole purpose is to get to your goals, however that may be. Work hard at the little goals, strive to make sure tomorrow you are better than you are today!
“To love yourself is to understand you don’t need to be perfect to be good”
2. Strive for progress, not perfection!
It may help to remove the all or nothing attitude. It’s not about completing every set and every rep to a tee, it's about the quality of your workout and listening to your body. Celebrate the progress whether it be a victory or a failure. The failures should be your guidance to what you can and can't do. Soon enough you'll be able to crush through your failures and make them victories.
“Some quit due to slow progress… never grasping the fact that slow progress is still progress.”
3. LOVE YOUR BODY!
According to research, most males are motivated to work out due to competition, social benefits, and overall fitness, whereas most females workout for social and skill benefits. The main difference is men workout for sport while women tend to workout for their social perception. Don’t worry about your social perception, being comfortable in your body others will catch your high self-esteem and new glow you have!
“I don’t work out because I hate my body. I work out because I LOVE IT!”
4. Get the endorphins flowing!
For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric." That feeling, known as a "runner's high," can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life. So ride the endorphin wave and do the impossible!
Within a few weeks, muscles are working more efficiently and allow your overall body to work like the machine it is! The body’s physiologic responses to episodes of aerobic and resistance exercise occur in the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, and immune systems.
“One of the greatest moments in life is realizing that two weeks ago your body couldn’t do what it just did.”
5. Most people become so overwhelmed with their results it becomes easy to lose motivation!
In a perfect world, weight loss or, more specifically, fat loss, would be instantaneous. But that's not how the human body works. Instead, everything from your hormones to neurologic system and signals adapt to every little change in your diet and exercise routine. It's important to remember that your muscles don't get stronger or faster during your workouts. Your gains come in the hours and days in between your gym sessions as your muscles repair and adapt to any given workout.
“Once you see results, it becomes an addiction.”
6. Most people report lack of time as the number one attribute to not working out.
Moving your body, even for short amounts of time, is one of the most important daily habits for your health. Every workout doesn’t have to be a sweat-inducing marathon of activity. Especially for those people who are short on time, quick exercises throughout the day are a great supplement to occasional high-intensity workouts.
“It’s not about having time. It's about making time.”
7. Get ready to say hello to those abs and biceps!
“It doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger!”
8. Give yourself a real reward!
Some people may be motivated by vague goals such as better health or weight control, if that's not doing it for you it may be time to rethink. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business advises making the benefits of working out more tangible, such as by treating yourself to a healthy smoothie or an episode on Netflix afterward.
He describes creating a neurological “habit loop,” which involves a cue to trigger the behavior (setting out your spinning shoes next to your bag), the routine (making it through spinning class) and then the reward. “An extrinsic reward is so powerful because your brain can latch onto it and make the link that the behavior is worthwhile,” he explains. “It increases the odds the routine becomes a habit.”
“Workout. Eat well. Be Patient. Your body will reward you.”
9. Visualize the goal!
“If you want to reach a goal, you must see the reaching in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.” -Zig Ziglar
No matter how you get there, you know you’ve succeeded once the day arrives when you can’t imagine skipping your workout. You can call it an addiction, a pleasure or an escape. But the important thing is that you’re doing it on a regular basis, and that you’re doing it for you. A lot of the quotes in this article have been said by many anonymous people, who are striving for the same things as you. Remember you're not alone!
Tesa is new to blogging, but hopes to make a big impact with her vast knowledge of athletics and experience. Tesa recently earned her bachelor's degree at the Pennsylvania State University. While majoring in Athletic Training and minoring in psychology, she worked with various division one collegiate sports teams. Tesa is continuing her education by pursuing her Master's of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in sports pedagogy at The Louisiana State University. Tesa is a board certified Athletic Trainer and a Performance Enhancement Specialist. Outside of the training room, Tesa enjoys going on runs and working out for leisure.
Main Photo Credit & Third Photo Credit: g-stockstudio/shutterstock.com; Second Photo Credit: GaudiLab/shutterstock.com; Fourth Photo Credit: Ajan Alen/shutterstock.com; Fifth Photo Credit: baranq/shutterstock.com
