MOTIVATION

Deciding to become actively involved in improving your physical fitness is an important step towards achieving your goal, but requires relatively little effort and so it easily accomplished. Far more difficult however, is actually developing a plan to reach this goal and following through with it.

It all sounds well and good right now, but the truth is that keeping up that initial motivation is usually the most difficult part of working out. This proves to be all the more difficult given the constant distractions present in a residence situation. Sorry to give you the bad news but there's no miracle "motivation pill", nor is there any generally accepted method of maintaining exercise motivation as time passes.

There is however, a world full of people who have been there before a hundred times over, and each has their own advice concerning the matter. If you ask enough people though, you'll recognize that the general concepts that each recommends are striking similar.

In the end, motivation is a personal thing, and whatever works for you, works. Below is a list compiled from the advice of various experts which includes some of the most common recommendations for keeping yourself motivated. These experts include but are not limited to Reed Humphrey PhD. PT, Covert Bailey (a leading health expert, author of "Fit or Fat") and Ed Eyestone (a cross-country coach of many years). What qualifies these individuals to their opinion? They have the experience in helping others deal with problems in motivation. Is their advice right for you? That much is up to you to decide.

Have a goal. Deciding you want to exercise is really the second step. The first step was recognizing something about yourself you wanted to change. Don't feel you're living a healthy lifestyle, want to put on some muscle, bring up your cardiovascular fitness, lose a few pounds or maybe just stop gaining them? Whatever the reason, it is important to recognize why you are exercising in the first place. This isn't a passive process, and having a clear goal not only give you a way to judge your progress, but also sets an objective to work towards. Putting in the effort without a clear objective can be frustrating, so let's eliminate that problem right off the bat.

Write it down. I hate to stress this goal thing (I hate goals…. brings back high school memories), but when you're working out they're incredibly important. Write down why you're doing this, and check back every two weeks to remind yourself. Plan on working out. Consider daily exercise as one of your priorities, not something to "fit in when you have time". We all start off with good intentions, but there are so many distractions in residence life that scheduling in exercise time can be the only thing that keeps you on track. Don't hang your social life out to dry, but remember that getting out to the gym gets harder and harder the longer put it off. Don't cheat yourself, get out there!

Record your progress. Okay, sounds dumb. Get over it though. This is one of the best ways to keep yourself motivated. Every two weeks, or maybe just every month, consider your weight, how much you can bench press or how long you can run. Find some kind of measure of your progress thus far. Not only is it satisfying seeing the numbers change as you approach your goal, but it also lets you know if maybe a little more effort is required. If so, this is an opportunity to consider reviewing your goal, and evaluating your workout strategies.

Find a partner. No matter how dedicated you are, we all lose our motivation at some point. That's why working out with a friend or a group is a good idea. Find somebody who can push you to keep going and who expects you to be there working out with them. The benefits are twofold: not only does this make working out more fun, but now you've got another reason to get to the gym each day. You're not just cheating yourself, but your friend as well. In order for this strategy to be effective though, make sure you've found somebody with whom you are comfortable enough to accept and give criticism. You don't want to get angry when you're being pushed to go to the gym, just motivated to get out there.

Anything goes. Can't make it to the gym? Take the longer walk to class… or better yet, jog there. Try push-ups before bed if you've been too busy for anything else. The point is that there are always opportunities to do just that little bit more in our daily lives, and when the pressure of exams is bearing down these little compensations can help you keep up your fitness level when time is short.

Know Stuff. That's right… know stuff. If you're working out to build muscle, know what's involved. Understand just how lifting weights builds muscle and what you should be eating before and after working out. If you want to run marathons, know the recommended training methods. Sources for this information are everywhere, on the web, at the gym, in magazines, or even elsewhere on this webpage. Just be sure to consider what you're actually doing to your body, and how to maximize the results of your exercise by balancing sleeping and eating habits to match your exercise routine.