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Motivation for Regular Training
October 31, 2009
Do you find it hard to motivate yourself to exercise? If so, you’re definitely not alone.
Here are a couple methods of motivation.
1. Get a workout partner or go to workout with a group of people. Here’s a proverb: “If two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord or three strands is not quickly torn apart.” Put simply, two are stronger than one, and a larger group can be stronger still. If you workout with a person or persons, the bond of your partnership with the other people can be strong enough to overcome the natural human tendency toward wanting to “chill” and just…sit there.
2. Compete in a contest. This provides outside motivation and the training you do for the contest can become an ingrained habit so that once the competition is over, you continue with your training. Some examples are a 5k race, a marathon, or the Body-for-Life contest.
Another possibility I’ve never tried, but am curious about are NLP techniques. Here’s a question for the NLP experts out there: could NLP be used to help a person to more “enjoy” working out, or to be more motivated to workout? Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks!
Darryl
15 Responses to “Motivation for Regular Training”
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A partner is the best method, although NLP and hypnosis is always a great assist with motivation and drive. Just like with weight lifting it’s best to mix things up a bit and employ various modalities.
Steve Chambers
I have worked out with people in the past, but when I do, I usually end up exercising my mouth more than anything with all the blabbing going on!!!! I have to do it alone but these are great tips for people who need a little motivation.
Lisa McLellan
Babysitting Services – Babysitter in your area
Having an exercise buddy is a good motivation as long as the ohter party is at least as motivated as you are from the start.
You don’t want to be dragged down even though the “competitiveness” inside us might stop us to “lose out” and simply get on with the exercise!
John Ho
http://purenumerology.net
Instead of anchoring, how about picking up a sport and deciding to master the sport . . . then it becomes automagic!
Kate
Motivation – pain or pleasure?
Need to anchor bad feelings to not choosing to exercise: imagine (as vividly as possible) yourself fat, lethargic, miserable etc and then amplify the feeling 100x.
Anchor good feelings to choosing to exercise: picture yourself fit, slim, 6 pack, sprightly, attractive etc and then amplify the feeling 100x.
Generally after exercise you’ll feel good anyway (and maybe a bit tired!) which over time will reinforce your motivation.
I appreciate this is more of a what to do rather than how to do it, but this is what I’ve done with coaching clients in the past.
Martin Wright
Impact, Poise, Presenting
I did BFL a couple of years ago.
Great fun!
Shame I didn’t stick at the exercise really…
Joining a contest is a cool idea
Jose Escalante
http://www.joseescalante.com
Daryll,
Great ideas. I’ve done the BFL back in 1998 and I did surprise myself. I think it worked so great is because I surrounded myself with like minded people and I put it out there for others to see.
I always get my best workouts and results when I work with others. My partner injured his arm 5 months ago and my workouts have suffered. I’ve put on too many extra pound.
Lynn Lane->
The Warrior Of Success
Hi Darryl – Working out with someone definitely adds motivation to keep going. In groups I could see this be even more effective.
Yes lets all get up off the couch!
Vicki http://www.bridal-threads.com
Hi Darryl, we are up and running now. If your readers would like to buddy up, we have virtual buddy groups (nothing like accountability) and face-to-face buddy groups forming, at no cost. Let’s get healthy!
“Get your own Get Healthy Headquarters Journal,
Katie
Darrell
I wish I could take credit but it comes from Tony Robbins…
One must link more pain to not________ .. than to doing it…. and the brain will do the rest….
I have always used pictures and photos to motivate me…
Scott Payne
http://www.scottpayne.me
Pictures are a great idea! This really does help, and it’s also the reason why I won’t watch fashion channels like FTV before I go out to eat an indulgent meal
MissMentor
Hi Darryl,
excellent tips for motivating ourselves for exercise. What do you think about how to frame and motivate with goals? and what about doing a more active lifestyle, like incorporating dancing into your life, even when it is not a hugely rigorous workout, it is more active and moving and is an Off Coach activity?
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
http://www.aprilbraswell.com/BoomerDating.html
Forgot to add – if it motivates a couch potato to stand up (referring to watching team on tv scoring a goal) it’s gotta be a strong resource for either said potato or another sports fan wanting to keep his physique.
NLP – yes it can. Despite all the jargon and obsessive poncing around by some in the NLP community, all NLP works on the same logical principles applied to different situations.
Enjoyment of working out is easy to do by causing the brain to associate workouts with fun/pleasure/success or any number of resources that every human being has within them. In layman’s terms, if you’ve experienced it, (or to a lesser degree if you can imagine it) you’ve got a resource.
If you have a resource you can transfer it to any area of your life. So if you describe your workout as boring you could UNLEASH THE POWER of the excitement you feel just before your favourite team scores a goal. That is the moment of power someone could use in a workout.
A lot of the skill in NLP is related to choosing which resource should be used for each individual.
There are so many ways to answer the issue of motivation in an NLP context that I’m being general so I don’t take over the comment area!
Keri Eagan
Alternative*Insight