Motivation

Today, I was asked by one of my Twitter followers, "How do you stay so motivated to workout?" I gave him my short answer and told him that he inspired me to write this blog post.  So this is to him and anyone else who has a hard time making yourself do the dreaded workout.

I'm no workout guru and I definitely do not have any special tips on how to lose weight the fastest.  Tonight, I simple want to talk about motivation.  That's all working out is.  Taking something inside of you or around you and making yourself get through a workout.  Without motivation, you can't workout.  I tell my Mom all the time that when I run, I could run forever if I just didn't think about it.  I told my follower three things that keep me motivated to workout.  1. Dr. Lynch 2. My boyfriend  and 3. Myself. (Note: These are not in an order of importance just of how I will talk about them.)

Dr. Lynch:  I have talked about him before on one of my blog posts.  I saw him on Sunday's when I would finally decide to come home from college.  But before college he was my mentor/Sunday School teacher my senior year.  He changed my life dramatically.  Like I talked about in my New Year's Resolution post, one of my goals is to run a half-marathon in honor of Dr. Lynch.  I set a marathon last year and didn't reach my goal.  When I run my half-marathon, finishing it will give me the motivation to push for a full and I hopefully I will accomplish that goal before graduation.  Dr. Lynch, even though he is not here with me, gives me the motivation to get myself out of the bed, go for a run, and complete this challenge for him.

My boyfriend:  I haven't talked about him much on my blog but he has made a huge impact on my life.  He could be a workout guru, if he wanted. (haha) He is 6'5" and is built like a basketball player.  This summer, he set a challenge for himself to complete the P90X workout and in return I told him I wanted to do it too.  Well, we both completed the workout and did not get the results we wanted (probably because we weren't as strict with our diets).  I got bulky, like I was in high school.  All muscle covered with little bits of fat.
          B (my boyfriend) eats extremely well.  He isn't obsessive over his diet but he knows what is good for him and he eats it.  I use to always feel bad at the end of the day when B would ask, "Well what did you eat today?" My response, "Kraft Mac-a-roni & Cheese for lunch and a frozen pizza for dinner."  His response, "Well, that would be why you feel bad." I LOVE Mac-a-roni & Cheese, pizza, any kind of desserts, and Diet Coke!! It's so hard for me to cut these things out of my diet.  Honestly, I haven't completely cut them out.  I just manage how much I eat, when I eat it, and what kind it is (meaning Lean Cuisine Mac-a-roni and low fat desserts).
          What I'm getting at is you have to have an accountability partner.  Without someone to keep you on the same page you will stray.  You won't get up and workout and you'll sit on the couch eating.  BUT with someone helping you, reminding you, pushing you, you will have to get up and workout and in my case eat healthy.  B and I do not workout together, but at the end of the day we always talk about what we did that day.  It use to suck hearing him say what workout he did and what he had to eat for the day.  Now, I've gotten so much more focused, and at the end of the day I'm proud to talk about my workout and what I ate.  Now we have an actual accountable relationship.  Before, he was doing all the reminding and pushing.

Myself: The hardest thing in the world is to make yourself workout.  If you do not have that drive to want to change your body, want to feel good about yourself, or want to do something for yourself you will not be motivated to workout, ever.  Working out is not fun (for the most part).  You put yourself through pain, sweat, and it uses up a lot of free-time.  My workout time is my me time.  I do my best thinking when I have headphones in and I am running outside.  I continue to stay motivated because I have a HUGE fear of becoming overweight.  I know it sounds snobby but I have had nightmares about being obese.  I do not want that.  Therefore, everyday I make myself do some kind of workout.  I stay fairly busy.  So sometimes my workout may consist of a small run and abs.  Other days I can take a class at the gym, use the elliptical, treadmill, and the bike all in one workout.

You are your biggest motivation.  If you do not want the feeling, the results, the power you have after a completed workout, it is very hard to motivate yourself to spend an hour in misery.  An accountability partner is a huge plus for me.  You can stay motivated all by yourself but if you see you are having a little bit of trouble call a friend.  They will be there to support you on those days you just want to lay in the bed, on the days it rains, and on the days you have no time.  Set a goal for yourself.  By having small, attainable goals you will keep yourself motivated for short amount of times and once you reach that goal, set another one.  Make your goals attainable.  If you never reach your goals you will be defeated and very unmotivated.

I hope this helped a little bit.  If you have any other questions or want to know more about how I stay motivated write a comment, Facebook me, Follow me on Twitter.  I will be happy to share with you all the other things in my life that keep me motivated.  These are just the top three reasons I wake up and make sure throughout my hectic schedule I get a workout in for those things.  Have a blessed Friday and do something for yourself! It's totally worth it!

Love and hugs,
Kayla