Homework Assignment
August 22, 2008 by Kelly Turner
Filed under Fitness
Im going camping this weekend (yay!) so I won’t be back until Monday (boo) so I’m leaving you all with a homework assignment:
How do you guys motivate yourselves to workout when you don’t feel like it ?
A lot of what I do as a personal trainer is teaching people how to build and modify their own workout routines for when they don’t come in anymore. We aren’t like a regular gym where we want their money indefinately- the point is to teach people to be able to effectively work out on their own.
The hard part is trying to teach people to keep themselves motivated. I can repeat “focus on the immediate benefits” and “lay out your workout clothes at night so you are ready to go in the morning” until I am blue in the face, but I’d love to hear your guys’ own little tricks you use to get up and moving.
I want your assignment done by Monday morning, written legibly in cursive.
And do 10 pushups. Right now.
And I’ll have a new giveaway for you guys Monday, too!
grounded fitness, fitness, health, yoga, pilates, strength training, personal trainer, cardiovascular, cardio, exercise, wellness, weight loss, blog, blogging, fitness blog, weightloss blog, Every Gym’s Nightmare,
I’ll put on my workout clothes in the morning so that at some point in the day I will work out. (I work at home so this isn’t as weird as it could be). I also think about the days of not working out adding up. One becomes three or four too easily. So that helps me get in gear if I take a couple off!
Have fun camping! I forget cursive, though, in particular capital Gs and Qs.
I think telling someone you worked out after every single workout is one good start. Someone who’s supportive but butt-kicking and will say “oh, how much did you lift? that’s awesome!” when you do and ask you what’s up when you don’t. The friend or spouse or partner or sibling or parent equivalent of the personal trainer.
Have a great trip! I motivate myself with having great workout buddies! I know they’re counting on me plus I’ll get in a good hour of giggles and gossip. Apprarently I’m 12.
Enjoy the trip!!
As for me, my pinch prompt is a great motivator.
I also like to remind myself of what it was like to be laid-up, injured and unable to perform the simple daily tasks. So I try to keep motivated to anything, no matter how small it may be.
I just did ten more push-ups than I would have today. Thanks for making me!
I agree keeping yourself motivated is a challenge. For me, I think how can I tell my clients to take care of themselves and do this if I am not going to do it? I have have a built in integrity issue if I don’t follow through on my plan. (I’m a hypnotherapist and I’m constantly encouraging people to exercise whether they are coming in to stop smoking, lose weight or get over a fear. Exercise helps us cope with whatever is going on.) I also give myself the 15-20 minute out. I say if I go and I really don’t want to do more than 15-20 minutes then that’s okay I can leave. Of course, once I get exercising, I always stay for more than 15 minutes.
Glad I found your blog! I’ll be checking back often!
I blogged this for my Monday entry: Self Motivation.
Basically, though, I plan for the trips in my week, and then treat them like any other plan or appointment.
Ten pushups done!
I don’t know if my motivation trick will work in your clients’ case Kelly, but my dog Maggie motivates me to get moving. I know how happy she’ll be walking around the neighborhood, and once we get back home I just think “what the heck, I’m already sweaty” so I head out for my own jaunt around the neighborhood. She’s a great warm-up and cool-down for me (2 miles total), and I feel like I’m doing her little 10 year old heart some good too.
One other thing that helps me is to compare notes with my sister each day. She lives in Chicago so we can’t exercise together, but just telling each other what we did that day and encouraging each other does a lot for both of us!
:)
When I do not feel like working out, I tell myself that I only have to do something for 10 minutes. If I still honestly don’t feel motivated and I am miserable after the 10 minutes, then I let myself quit. 99 times out of 100 I finish the workout.
sweets&sweats.wordpress.com
I plan out my sessions for the week on Sunday, when I also tend to be planning meals, doing groceries and all the other things that ‘prep’ you for the next week. Once I have booked my gym “appointments” there is no backing out - especially as I usually have to juggle other priorities to fit them in! I have also found that meeting up with my running group is keeping me motivated to get better at running - like Charlotte, I know they’re counting on me to be part of the group and then I get to chat and socialize while running so it doesn’t feel so tedious!!