FITNESS Motivational tips for exercise

Staying the pace – motivational tips for exercise


Personal trainer
Paul O'Brien

What’s the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t? If you look closely, you’ll see that the real difference lies not directly in ability or in any physical characteristics. More often than not, it’s the effort level that distinguishes winners.
Those who achieve what they want will simply do whatever it takes to get there. Or at least more of whatever it takes.
We are all beset by doubts, distractions and excuses. Exercise is one area where these handicaps are frequently seen.
There’s always a reason not to do that run, a plethora of excuses to call upon not to get up and get out. So what practical tips can I offer to help overcome this exercise inertia?
The primary weapon against excuse-itis is setting a powerful goal. I have written frequently enough about goal-setting in this column before, so won’t do so again here.
It’s sufficient to say that a goal should be powerful enough to call you into action, be written down and be constantly visible and reviewed.
Here are some further weapons for your motivational arsenal.
These tips are practical and can help keep your momentum going long enough to encourage a positive exercise habit.

Write it down
Keeping a training diary is a great way of staying the course. You diary should include the type of exercise you performed; when you performed it; how you felt physically and emotionally; the weather conditions; what you ate before and after; and anything else you want to record.
A training log will help you identify trends in your exercise. For example, you’ll get to know which time of day you feel best when training and what foods work best for you. It can also help when you are struggling. Looking back over a few weeks of exercise and noting your progression can give you the shot in the arm you need to keep going.

Lean on me
Enlisting the help of a partner or friend with your training has worked for many of my clients. They may actually train with you, or just offer sideline support. I find it really helps my clients to share their goal with someone they can trust and ask that person to help them achieve it. You could agree to be held accountable to that person for exercise you don’t do, have a weekly chat about your progress and encourage them not to let you off the hook. It’s vital to enlist the help of someone you trust in order for this to work. It’s also a great way to motivate a friend or partner who is procrastinating about exercise.

Pack it in
Preparing your exercise gear the night before a session and leaving it somewhere prominent is a highly visible motivator to exercise. You are sending a powerful message to your subconscious about the importance of exercise.

Plan to succeed
Prepare a weekly training schedule and write your sessions into your weekly diary. Set reminders on your phone for your sessions also. A scheduled training session is much more likely to happen than one that only exists somewhere in the ether!

Pick-n-mix
Regularly varying your training is a great way to stay motivated. Try different routes on your runs or cycles, take a new class, try a new sport, take to the hills or mountains for a training session. Or even hit the beach.

In the end, to stay going you must get going. Once you start noticing improvements, maintaining your momentum becomes easier. Nothing breeds success like success.

Paul O’Brien is a Personal Trainer and Life Coach and runs his own fitness and coaching business in Westport. He is the founder of Bootcamp West, a fitness programme running in Westport, Castlebar and Louisburgh. For information about fitness training, coaching, bootcamp programmes and new TRX classes, email Paul at paul@bootcampwest.com or call 086 1674515. visit www.bootcampwest.com or e-mail paul@bootcampwest.com or telephone 086 1674515.