Sound
familiar? Have you heard that before? or
Are you the one who is shouting this? All
the excuses can be pinpointed to one source, “Internal Motivators”.
What are Internal
Motivators? Internal is defined as “situated inside”. By
inside, I mean within your mind. I often
communicate with my clients that in order to achieve a goal, that goal has to
be owned by you. You have to want it not
just for one day but throughout the entire goal achieving process. My role in goal setting, as a personal
trainer, is to help with the process of setting realistic goals followed by mastering
those goals and then reaching for the
next goal on the ladder of success. I
remember when my late husband would lovingly communicate with me that my
breakfast consisting of a diet coke and M&M’s was not good by any means for
any reason. I didn’t care. My breakfast tasted so yummy. My “Ah Hah” moment took place when I saw
myself in the mirror and thought, “Oh My Head!
Is that really you standing in the mirror? You say you want to lose weight and get in
shape, but look at you. What caused you
to be in such a state?” As I stood there
disgusted with what I’ve let myself turn into, I did a quick inventory of what led
to this. I realized that my actions did
not line up with my wants. I had started
each day with failure. I quickly
spiraled further away from what I wanted to be.
I decided at that moment to begin my day with success and strive to be
successful in everything I did throughout the day! I don’t drink diet colas and eat M&M’s
for breakfast any more. I know both
still taste delicious.
Motivator is an incentive, a move to action, and
is always positive. This is why I urge
my clients to set small goals while focusing on the big picture. Again, my job is to guide my clients in
setting realistic goals. If these are
not achieved, I ask my clients to ponder why not? What can they change to meet those
goals? Most importantly, I ask, “Are you
really going to change to meet those goals?”
Forgiveness is an imperative part in goal setting. For example, if you miss a workout on Monday
that doesn’t mean your whole week is shot.
Forgive yourself! Forget it! Start over!
You get a new chance! Tomorrow…
Internal Motivators:
Stop
thinking of exercise as a chore. Think
of the small achievable goals. Celebrate
the goals you have accomplished. Success
is a pleasant experience.
Exercise can
be a pleasant experience. Do something
you like. Take a brisk walk or run with the
dog. Play with your kids at the
park. Listen to audible books on your
iPod while walking or ellipticalling or treadmilling. Go dancing.
Hire a personal trainer, like me, who encourages and motivates you to
attain.
Plan how to
fit exercise into already busy schedule such as make it an appointment in your calendar. Exercise while watching TV. Make commercials useful, do crunches, push
ups, leg raises, etc. during commercials.
Park in a space further away from the office building door, grocery
store, mall and so on.
Recognize that exercise isn’t
just learning how to use your body to perform a swing or swim a lap, it also
entails learning how to use your mind to drive yourself into action and
continue to equate yourself as someone whose identity is connected with
exercise.
No Excuses! Just Results!
Setting goals will help you achieve a sense of accomplishment during your time working out. It’s best to set mini goals to help motivate and push you through to the big goals. 
