One of the toughest part about getting in shape is self-motivation and staying consistent week in and week out. One of the reasons Get You In Shape gives you all the tools is because all you do is follow the program. Following the program is still a tough battle when you are stressed for time, not feeling like it, or just can’t seem to find the motivation.
For many of you, just getting to the boot camps are hard enough. But as you know, you have to do the off-day cardio if your goal is to lose weight and tone up.
How do you stay motivated? How do you keep pushing yourself on the off-days. We are reaching out to everyone and asking you for your input on how YOU do it. What has worked for you on the off-days to help with your results?? What has not worked for you?
One of the main reasons why we try to help you do this on your own is that we know many of our clients will not be with us forever. So giving you the tools to go out and do your off-day cardio is a start to self-motivation. We have toyed with providing an off-day (Tuesday and Thursday) core/cardio program for those who want more or just need the same motivation we provide for boot camp. We may see in March who would be interested again in this. For now, though, we want to reach out to everyone and have you guys help us. What keeps you motivation to do your off-day cardio? How do you stay consistent? What are some pointers you can help give that may help some fellow boot campers?
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A couple of things have pushed me to work out on my off-days…
1. Making a plan to work out with friends ~ my girlfriends & I have started walking 2-4 miles a day either in our neighborhood or around the lake at Andrew Brown Park… we usually spend an hour or so catching up while getting some exercise in & follow it with a steaming cup of tea or coffee & some healthy (or semi-healthy) snacks.
2. Writing down the workout I plan to do on my calendar. It’s in my bathroom right above my weighing scale so I see both every single day.
3. I tweaked an old photo of myself to look 15 pounds thinner & have posted that on my fridge & my closet door. Remembering the goals I want to reach helps me tie those shoelaces every day.
I can’t say that I’m successful every day but I keep trying & I know I’ll get there sooner rather than later.
It is about having a plan. I have to have written goals that I have communicated with people I know will care and help keep me accountable.
1. Have a goal and agree that nothing will keep you from it.
2. Negotiate when you don’t feel like it. Watch the self talk it can be debilitating! When that starts I go yeah yeah but you still have to get the minimum in and complaining doesn’t help. What is the minimum to get a completion? 15 minutes of good effort is much better than feeling like crap because I didn’t do my off-day work.
3. Don’t set myself up by eating too heavy or waiting too late to get it done.
4. Think about it earlier in the day (for night session) so that it is not a scramble to have a plan.
5. Find a buddy…much easier when there is someone that is counting on your company.
It is definitely a “snowball” effect and the more success I generate, the easier it gets and the less likely I am to want to interrupt this momentum.
I know it’s trite but that old Nike slogan “Just Do It” is what keeps me going. I just got back from a tradeshow/convention where I was on my feet all day walking around and I forced myself to go to the hotel gym 2 of the 3 nights (at 9 PM). I was so tired but ran 1/2 hour on the treadmill and cycled 1/2 hour and I hate to admit that I did feel so much better. Having 2 pretty good looking 20 somethings on the other treadmills certainly improved my attitude.
But I’ve also made it ok with myself to skip a day just because. Is that motivating? Who knows. It’s where my head is at right now.
Sometimes when I am in a slump I will give myself star stickers on a calendar for everyday I do my cardio. Then I give myself a certain number of starts I need to have for that month in order to receive a reward like a pedicure, new workout clothes or some other non-food reward!
I will start the comments:
1. Having a goal and motivation behind why you want to reach your goal is key.
If your goal is to run a 5k, then your motivated to achieve that goal. The motivation will help you do the things you need to to to achieve that goal. In this case, you will need to have a plan to get up to a 5k. You have to run a .5 mile first, then 1 mile, then 1.5 mile, then 2 miles, then 2.5, then the 3.1 miles (which is a 5k). Only after doing the work and taking those baby steps can you achieve your goal of a 5k.
2. Give yourself some sort of incentive. I have used this on some of my personal training clients in the past. Have an incentive for doing stuff on the off-days. If you complete 8 off-day cardio sessions in a month, you get __________ (what ever you will not normally spend money on).
Let’s hear from you now- Brad