March 14th, 2009
Do you need motivation to work out? Have you constantly been “starting over?” Are you sick of this endless cycle? I know how it is. I figured out how to end this frustrating cycle and produced the physical results I would only dream of before. I found out how to have lasting motivation to work out. Let me show you how. By the way, this article is kind of long but bear with me. If you follow my suggestions, you’ll soon find it easy to do what needs to be done to get into shape.
My Struggle and Triumph
For years, I would start a workout routine only to “take a break” and start over again several months later. I would workout for about 2-3 months, not see much results, and stop. Once I got too out of shape, I would get determined to start working out again only to stop a few months later. This went on for about 4-5 years. Does this sound familiar?
Fortunately, this all changed about 2 years ago when I started applying these strategies I’m about to share with you.
Just so you know, unlike most people, my challenge wasn’t to lose weight, it was to gain weight. Growing up I was always skinny. You know when you’re skinny when people say things like, “When was the last time you’ve had a decent meal?” or, “Let me get you something to eat” out of nowhere.
So what happened? How come I kept failing to keep up with a workout routine for 5 years? Wouldn’t being skinny enough for people to think I just came to the US from a 3rd world country enough motivation to stick with a weight gain plan? Apparently not.
It wasn’t until I did the things I’m about to tell you that I went from struggling just to gain a few pounds a year to gaining 25 lbs in a little over 3 months. By the way, I didn’t go out and eat everything I saw. In fact, I cut out all fatty and junk food. Yes, I gained weight while sticking to healthy foods.
Now if your motivation to workout is to lose weight, don’t worry, this will work for you as well. In terms of weight loss motivation, the same principles will apply. Losing weight just comes down to knowing what to do and doing it.
I won’t be writing about what I ate or what workout routine I used. You can find out what you should be eating to lose weight online. What I’ll be writing about is the mental changes that took place and the strategies I used to make working out become a habit. So lose weight or gain weight, the same strategies will apply.
Let me start with the main reasons why people have trouble with having the motivation to workout in the first place.
Why People Stop Working Out
The problem with working out for most people is that after some time, the motivation to workout dries out. The following are the most common reasons:
Wrong strategy
With so much information out there, this really shouldn’t be a problem. The basic formula to lose weight is to eat less calories than you burn or burn more calories than you eat. To gain weight, it’s the opposite. If you have the motivation to workout everyday but eat more calories than you’re burning, you’re going to be disappointed.
As long as you don’t buy into those quick-results-with-no-work-and-eat-anything-you-want schemes, you should be fine.
Lack of results
Too many people start working out with the expectation of some amazing result in too short of a time span. So when results don’t meet up to their expectations, they get discouraged and quit.
Slowed progress
Thinking that your results will stay consistent will just end up disappointing you. In the beginning, you may have some great results. You may lose 5-10 pounds your very first week. But as the weeks go by, you will find yourself losing less and less. Not knowing this in advance can be very discouraging when it happens.
Hitting a plateau
When you start working out, your results will be very encouraging. Your motivation to workout will increase as you see these amazing results. However, sooner or later, you will hit what’s known as a plateau. Athletes experience this all the time. You get to the point where results not only slow down, it actually stops. This can definitely be pretty frustrating.
Satisfaction
This is when you get to the point where you’ve loss enough weight to where you feel satisfied. You’re not where you want to be at but it’s not bad enough for you to want to do much about it. At this point, your motivation to workout may drop since your reason for working out is no longer strong enough. You may stop working out all together until your body gets to a point where it causes your motivation to workout to increase again and you start to workout again.
All of the above reasons that cause most people to quit working out happened to me over the years and have caused my motivation to workout deteriorate, but I’ve figured out how to overcome all of them. So let me share those strategies with you now.
1. Have the right mindset
Without the right mindset, you will be facing unnecessary difficulties. Realize that anything worth striving for will be challenging. Go into this with massive determination and focus.
When you take this seriously, your motivation to workout will automatically increase. Have the mentality of a warrior. Know that internal enemies will constantly try to stop you, those internal voices that tell you to quit. Be prepared for battle and take them down.
2. Have Intense Desire
If you’re merely interested in working out, it’s going to be difficult to do it long enough for it to be a habit. Your desire to workout and get the body you want has to be greater than any reason that may come up to make you quit.
Write down why you want to workout. Why do you want to lose that weight? Why do you want to be fit? The more reasons you have that hit you emotionally, the greater your desire will be.
My motivation to workout was that I just hated being skinny. I also wanted to inspire others by succeeding in this goal. If I could do it, they could do it. But more importantly, I had to prove to myself that I had the mental abilities to push myself through any challenge that tried to stand in my way. I was sick of failing to accomplish this goal.
You see, for the longest time, I had this belief that being skinny, for me, was genetic. I was born a month premature and read somewhere that the body type I had pretty much made me destined to stay skinny. I had to shatter this genetic, destined to be skinny belief because I knew if I did, many other limiting beliefs I had about myself would also be destroyed. I basically put everything into this goal. I had to. I gave myself no other choice but to succeed and because of that, I did.
3. Find Inspiration
Watch videos or talk to people who have achieved the fitness goals that you’re pursuing. When you see or hear story after story of people just like you who were able to transform their body, you will begin to have faith and confidence that you can do the same.
I remember watching this video over and over of people who used to be skinny and what they went through to get the body they have. It was just so inspiring. It made me believe 100% that I could reach my goals as well. My motivation to workout was through the roof.
Another thing you can do is to workout with a friend or group of friends. Now, keep in mind that it’s important to pick someone who has a strong desire. If you have a lazy friend, well, I’m sure you know how that’ll go.
4. Understand The Why
One of the things I did that really helped was instead of just going blindly into some diet program or workout regimen, I studied why I needed to do the things I needed to do. I read books on how the human body works as well as how nutrition works. By understanding WHY you have to do what you need to do, you’re more likely to do it because you understand the importance of it.
It’s easy to skip a critical step just because you don’t fully understand the reasoning behind it. If I told you, to lose weight, you have to eat more frequently but didn’t tell you why, you might not do it since it may not make sense to you.
It’s not a must that you study the why behind everything, but it will definitely help.
5. Prepare for Excuses
Excuses will come up. Just know that it will and things will be a lot easier. For instance, I knew that having to wake up early in the morning, when it’s cold and rainy outside, just to go to the gym and workout would be a challenge. I knew that when I get together with friends and family, there would be the urge to eat whatever fatty foods they were eating. (I gained weight through cutting out fats and all unhealthy foods in order to gain healthy weight.)
When your motivation to workout is high, your mindset is different. You will get yourself to workout regardless of what’s holding you back. But during those times when your motivation to sleep or do something else is greater than your motivation to workout, you need to be prepared to deal with it by coming up with what you’ll do before it actually comes up.
What I did was write down a list of as many things that I could think of that would prevent me from either wanting to workout or eat the right foods. Then I came up with what I would do when those things (excuses) came up. I knew what to do when my mind said, “It’s so cold right now, just stay in bed, you can workout later” or “skipping one workout won’t make a difference”. I was prepared.
You MUST be prepared to deal with these excuses when they come up.
6. Prepare for Setbacks
Your progress won’t be a straight diagonal line. It will slow down or even go in reverse at times. You may lose several pounds every week for a few weeks, then lose less for a few weeks, then lose none for a few weeks, and then gain a few pounds for a few weeks. Know that this is normal otherwise your motivation to workout may suffer.
I remember the week when I weighed myself and found that I actually lost a pound. Had I not been prepared for this, I may have been discouraged. But since I knew this would happen, it just made me more focused and determined.
When this happens, don’t get discouraged. This is where many people quit. Don’t let it happen to you. Keep going. Your progress will eventually turn back in your favor.
7. Preparation of Meals
One of the reasons why people will tend to overeat is because they are not prepared. I love eating fast food and junk food. But since I made a commitment to working out and eating healthy, I had to cut all of that out. My eating schedule was pretty straight forward.
I ate 6 meals a day, one every 3 hours. In the past, when it came time to eat, I would normally just make something and eat it. I found that this doesn’t work very well because there a many times when I don’t know what to eat and end up going to a fast food joint to grab a burger.
So what I did to prevent that was to prepare my meals in advance. Basically, I knew what I was going to eat for each of the 6 meals everyday and prepared my meals to the point where all I had to do was heat up the food in the microwave and presto.
I set up my eating situation where it was easy. Even when at work, when meal time came… heat up food, eat. No thinking was involved, and that’s why it worked. Protein shakes or meal replacements help when eating a meal isn’t convenient.
For losing weight, the same strategy applies. If you don’t know in advance what you’re going to eat, it will be easy and tempting to slip on your diet for “just one meal” and grab something you know you shouldn’t be eating. Preparation is key.
8. Measure Your Progress
Measure your progress on a weekly basis. I’m not just talking about your weight. I’m talking your body fat, about your arms, waist line, thighs, shoulders, chest, and calves. Also, keep track of your workouts. How many sets, how much weight, how long you ran for, etc. By keeping a measurement of everything, your motivation to workout will increase as you see those results.
Don’t be afraid to measure. Have confidence in yourself. You can do it. It just takes some time.
9. Anchor Feelings with Music and Celebration
On my way to the gym, I always listened to a certain song. On my way back home, I’d listen to another song. The reason I did this was to anchor the anticipation of working out to the first song and anchor the feeling to celebration to the second song.
By doing this, whenever I’m not in the mood to workout but go anyways, listening to the first song will get me into the state of anticipation for an intense workout. When I’m done, listening to the second song will get me into the state of excitement. While I listen to that song, I celebrate in order to anchor those good feelings to not only the song but to working out.
The song you choose doesn’t matter, what matters is the feeling it gives you.
10. Accept the New Lifestyle
You must accept this lifestyle change and be okay with it. Too often, people will start a workout with the intention of it being a temporary task. In order to make it a habit, you have to go into this with the mentality of Fit For Life.
Before I began my workout and diet change, I had to mentally be willing to make this a life long routine. I was willing to make the change because I made it clear in my mind that my new lifestyle is far more rewarding than my old lifestyle.
If this sounds like a big decision, well, it is. If you’re not willing to give up the life of sitting on the couch being inactive and eating junk food all day, than you shouldn’t be complaining about having low energy and a body that you don’t see fit. The decision to workout on a regular basis for the rest of your life is one of the best choices you can make.
The Secret to Effortless and Lasting Motivation to Workout is…
Make it a Habit
Do you think the people who consistently go to the gym have to struggle and force themselves to go each time? Fortunately, NO! Once you consistently workout long enough, your need for the motivation to workout becomes less. You will get to the point where you don’t even have to think about it. Working out will become natural.
This will take time. So your goal is to do whatever it takes to stick to your workout long enough for it to become a habit. Some people say it takes 30 days to form a habit. For some habits, that’s all it takes. It depends on the habit. For me, the habit of working out, where it’s no longer a struggle, where no motivation to workout is needed, took about 5-6 months.
If this sounds like a lot of hard work, then your desire just isn’t strong enough. At first I didn’t like it. After a while I got used to it. Now it’s just a part of my life. In fact, if I don’t workout, I feel uneasy and awkward, like there’s something missing in my life. Get to that point and you’ll have a hard time NOT working out. That is your goal.
Conclusion
It all comes down to disciplining yourself until it becomes a habit. Do you have to do all the things I suggested above? No. What I discussed was what finally made it happen for me. All these strategies and tips are just to help you along the way.
The number one thing is having an intense desire. When your desire is strong enough, you’ll find a way to reach your goal no matter what.
In the beginning, it will be difficult to get accustomed to this new lifestyle. You will be sacrificing time to go workout. You will be sacrificing unhealthy foods you used to eat on a daily basis. Realize that these sacrifices are necessary.
The good news is that once you start seeing results, your desire for the old unhealthy lifestyle will decrease. You will get to the point where nothing will taste as good as being fit feels. You will see others who have the inactive lifestyle you used to have and think, “Wow, this was all worth it.”
Lastly, when you reach your goals, you inspire others to reach theirs. When I gained that 25 pounds, believe me, people who knew me when I was skinny noticed. Even though most of them wanted to lose weight, seeing me gain weight gave them motivation to workout and reach their goals. Hopefully it has inspired you as well. And when you reach your fitness goals, hopefully others around you will be inspired by you and continue this ripple effect.
Do this for yourself and for your loved ones. This is one of the best habits that you can develop for your life.
If you want a great weight loss / exercise program that is also motivational, I highly recommend the P90x Home Work Out Program. Working out alone won’t get you to the fitness level you want. Remember that at least 70% of the results comes down to your diet. This program shows you want to eat as well. Another great program by the same company is the Insanity Work Out System. The work outs are a bit shorter and you don’t need any equipments so it’s great to use when you’re away from home as well.
Until next time…
Love Life. Do Good. Live Well.
Great post Kevin! I believe that most people just do not develop the discipline early on in their lives; the result is that it becomes difficult to develop this discipline as an adult. Once a person develops self-discipline, they will be amazed at what they will accomplish in all aspects of their lives.
One workout tip that has really helped me maintain a consistent workout schedule is by varying my workouts. I adapt workouts from a free cross-training website. This keeps the workouts fresh and different every day. The other benefit I get is a greater overall toning and weight loss. By keeping the workouts varied, not only do you not get bored with your workouts but also you get in better shape and loose weight in a shorter period.
Thanks for this!
<3
You're welcome!
This is inspiring!
This will really help me out! Thanks for the information. Two Randys, what a coincidence lol!
This is really inspirational
Thanks everyone. With summer around the corner, it's time to show yourself what you're made of!
Very inspiring! I just have one question; After you saw the results that you were looking for, did you continue to eat 6 meals a day?
@Josh – I did for a while but currently, I'm consuming about 4 meals a day. Getting to your desire weight is a lot harder than maintaining it and once you get to that maintenance phase, things get a lot easier.
That was SUCH an awesome, inspiring, insightful post Kevin. Thank you so much for sharing, and congratulations/good luck in the future! You're awesome!!
Thanks for kind the compliment Lindsay.
i found this youtube channel that has great motivational videos . this guy makes u wanna get up and workout. check it out and tell people about him. http://www.youtube.com/user/TheF0rtress#p/u/1/wcv…
Great post Kevin! I think you were right on with everything. I am 44 now, and I started working out (to gain size like you) when I was a junior in college. You are dead on that eventually it becomes a habit, and if you miss a workout, you feel lost. In my mind to gain weight (muscle) I thought more was always better. It took me 10+ years of 6+ days a week of weight training in the gym to realize that more is NOT better. Over training was a huge issue for me. Not only was it impeding my progress, it was causing many injuries. My point is that sometimes you can have too much motivation. This is where doing your research ahead of time to learn exactly how to properly reach your goals is so important. Thanks again for the great post!
Thanks for the comment Mike. I'm always looking for the most efficient ways to do things and as you pointed out, working out more isn't always better which is a good thing on a saving time standpoint. Doing all of that research on how the body works really helped me out and although took some time, it ended up saving me time by helping me get the results that I wanted faster and more efficiently.
This was a great article, I didn't know you could gain weight the same way as you lose it. I agree with anchor the anticipation of working out to the first song and anchor the feeling to celebration to the second song. This is hypnotic, it goes into your subconscious and helps you to feel the feelings you are wanting to feel. Songs just do that. You can remember all the words and feelings from songs that you listened to in high school!
I also find that putting on your workout clothes works the same way, you just feel like working out once you have them on. It works for me, I think I will add the music. Thanks, Mariah
Well, losing weight and gaining weight are the same in terms of mentality. Of course, the diet and exercise will focus on different things. Music is definitely a powerful tool to anchor in positive feelings. Glad you enjoyed the article and found it useful.
I'm burning with curiosity to know exactly what you did when you found yourself have those thoughts. what actions and/or thoughts worked for you when you heard the little voices in your head telling you to stay in your warm bed or that one workout doesn't make a difference?
Good question. What I personally did to handle the “warm bed” situation was to basically realize that thought was going to come up the next morning. So what I did was imagine myself jumping out of bed once the alarm went off. I knew the hardest part was just getting out of bed so I didn't want to give my mind a chance to convince me to stay in bed since I knew there was a good chance I'll lose the argument 🙂
As for the thought about “one workout doesn't make a difference”, that was handled by keeping on schedule with my workouts. I worked out different parts of my body on specific days of the week so I knew skipping a workout would mess up my schedule.
Another thing that helped was keeping track of my progress. Since I wanted to improve each week, I knew skipping a workout would set me back so that thought helped me to just push myself and get to the gym. Thinking about how I would feel after the workout really helped as well and that's why I recommend doing some sort of celebration after each work out. It helps to anchor that feeling of victory to hitting the gym.
Hope that helps.
Thank you! Your getting me motivated to start again. Your articles are awesome !
You're welcome and thanks!
The thing that always makes it hard for me to start a new workout is the “diet plan” I loved Insanity but all the protein was crazy! I'd rather just eat protein bars all day long then eat all that dang chicken!!!! Any ideas?? I actually don't mind eating the same thing EVERY DAY..as long as I know i'm getting what I need for the workout to “work out”….
There are other things that you can eat to get protein such as spinach, eggs, fish, beans, lean beef, and so on. You probably don't need as many grams of protein per day as many of those supplement companies say you do unless you're trying to be a body builder but protein shakes can be a good option as well. Much cheaper than the bars.
very well written, informative article! Thank you for the tips and info. For me, the “being satisfied” hit the nail right on the head. I lost 35lbs in several months and still have 25 to lose to hit my goal , but I’m at a point where I’ve lost all motivation. I haven’t worked out in weeks. I’ve been keeping up with my diet because I’ve gotten so use to eating healthier. However, i’ve settled on this weight because it’s less than what I’ve weighed. I feel better, but I know that I can feel better and look better. Thanks for a great read! It’s motivational!
You’re welcome, Cynthia. You brought up a great point: “I’ve settled on this weight because it’s less than what I’ve weighed.”
Being satisfied is something that most people will go through simply because they are no longer within that “pain range”. The initial weight caused enough pain to activate a much needed change but once the pain isn’t as intense, the motivation tends to die down.
Running because you’re being chased by a bear (pain) is a bit different than running simply because you told yourself you would. Pain may get you going and get you through the first part but it’s commitment that will get you over the finish line.
Good luck!
Got inspired and motivated! I’m also wanting to gain weight since I’ve lost ever since I got diabetes. My goal is to start eating healthier and get in better shape.
That’s great to hear, Joe! Just make sure you go into this with a long term mentality and you’ll do fine. Consistency is the key.
Great article and comments. I love that you tackled both the reasons why people stop working out as well as the strategies to keep a lasting motivation to workout. I also agree that the reasons for stopping are discouragement, frustration and satisfaction. The strategies you mentioned are challenging but I am glad you said that we should write down why we want to workout in no.2 and write down a list of excuses that we will face in no. 5. You are a great success story. Yes, it is a lifestyle change and I plan to read your article again for inspiration to become fit.
Thanks, Tammy. I wrote this article a while back. Another tip I’ve picked up when it comes to fitness goals is to choose an activity or physical skill that would require you to become stronger and more fit to accomplish instead of just focusing on what the scales reads like so many people do.
For me, it’s doing a calisthenics challenge called the Bar Brothers requirements. There’s also a version for women as well. In order to do this, I need to increase my strength and lower my body fat. This of course will require an adjustment in my diet and workout routine which I just started last week actually. I’ll write up an article about it once I complete the challenge.
This is such a good read. I chanced upon your blog by doing a search for workout motivation and now I’m a regular! Thank you so much for doing such good work, I hope I keep myself motivated by using your suggestions and methods.
Wish me luck!!