You need to establish clear objectives for why you’re exercising before you begin lifting weights, rushing into cardio, or entirely becoming obsessed with calorie counting.
People who have unspecific, unattainable, and uninspired exercise goals quit easily. They intermittently show up and look to sleepwalk through the exercises, swaying from right to right before giving up quickly.
They gripe about how difficult it is to eat healthily and lose at least some weight every day.
Anyone who has the physique you want has extremely attainable exercise objectives and is solely motivated by them. Every day, it moves closer to them albeit slowly.
People exercise for a variety of reasons. Some do it to impress the other sex, some do it to boost their confidence, and still others do it to stay healthy and have energy.
All of these motivations to start exercising are valid, it’s just a matter of identifying the one that will actually motivate you to get out of bed and hit the gym.
What kind of body would you wish to have?
Identifying your ideal body is the first step in developing your goals. Instead of merely visualizing it in your brain, select images that perfectly capture how you want to seem and store them.
Having a precise mental representation of how you want your body to look is crucial. It’s not nearly as motivating to use phrases like “lean, toned body” to describe how you want to appear as it is to have a visual representation of the outcome you’re going for.
What kind of health would you prefer?
It’s time to discover another reason to exercise—your health—now that you know how you want to look. Even if improving your looks is what drives you most, the health advantages are equally compelling.
Physically, intellectually, and energetically, you’ll feel better. You’ll also have more energy. People who are stronger have longer lifespans and are less prone to get heart disease.
Find a health objective that inspires you. Try to live a long life, be healthy and fit, and never become sick with anything that will make you sick.
Why do you wish to accomplish these objectives?
The next question is why, now that you are clear on your goals for appearance and well-being. What drives you to work toward achieving those objectives? Because this is such a personal topic, you should list the things that inspire you the most.
Perhaps you want to gain more self-assurance, perhaps you want to enjoy sports more, perhaps you want to draw more attention, or perhaps you feel healthy enough to engage in physical activity. No matter how absurd you may think the justifications are, make a note of them.
You may make a strong motivational list using these three questions. You may just read what you have written down on paper when you’re feeling a little fatigued and the idea of going to the gym makes you cringe, and your perspective will probably alter.
You’ll understand exactly why you’re doing it when you’re there with your buddies and you watch them stuffing their faces with junk food while your plate is entirely composed of vegetables.
