How to force yourself to exercise? The right motivation. How to motivate yourself to exercise

“Oh, I would really like to play sports, but...” - and then there is a list of all sorts of excuses: I don’t have time, I’m ashamed of my body, it won’t give results anyway, there’s no financial opportunity, and I can’t exercise at home myself - and so on , etc.

How often have you heard this from friends and acquaintances, or perhaps you say so yourself?

According to the site "Beautiful and Successful", the answer to all these excuses is extremely simple: you simply do not have enough motivation to play sports. And it is very important and very necessary for anyone who wants to change their lifestyle in favor of a healthy and active one.

So what about sports? What is motivation? What methods are recognized as the most effective for forcing yourself to lose weight and your body?

What is motivation?

Some experienced athletes argue that motivation does not last too long to constantly be able to force yourself to play sports. They say that discipline and habit work much more effectively. But you need to start somewhere, and namely with motivation.

To start training, something should inspire you, stimulate you: this is what we want to do - to get our figure in order, lose weight, become stronger, more resilient, healthier. This is the ultimate goal, and it either exists or it doesn’t. Therefore, it is so important to answer the question “why?”, “for what?” - why do we want to go to training? This will be your motivation.

And the site has selected the most for you effective ways how to motivate yourself to exercise and lose weight. We will talk about them in more detail below.

How you can motivate yourself to exercise at home and in the gym: ways

For convenience, we used psychological technique and divided motivation into types.

As you know, there are two main types - mental motivation (mood) and behavioral motivation (actions), and we have also added a daily routine as a separate third type. All this together will help you get off to a great start in or at home and achieve quick and impressive results.

Mental motivation

  • The first thing you need to think about is why you want to go to the gym or start actively exercising at home. That is, set yourself the goal that we talked about above. Just remember that it must be clear and specific. Not vague: “I’m going to the gym to lose weight,” but “I’m going to the gym to lose ... kg,” “to fit into my favorite dress/jeans,” etc. It’s good if you write down this goal on paper and also determine the time frame for achieving it (one year, six months) - this is specific motivation.
  • Think positively. You shouldn’t force yourself to go to the gym with the thought “needed” or “required” - this way you will reproach yourself and feel guilty for every miss, which will ultimately lead to you quitting. The motivation is for you to think how good it will be at the end of your difficult journey, when your weight loss goal is achieved and the cherished number appears on the scale.
  • Break your big goal into “sub-goals”, into mini-motivations. In other words, make up step by step plan how you will go towards a big achievement. Let's say you plan to go to the gym three times a week: clearly define which days this will happen and at what time, and do not deviate from the plan. Or you plan to run 5 kilometers during each of them: take a pedometer with you and, again, don’t deviate from the plan.
  • Don't blame yourself if things don't work out. Missed a workout? Don't call yourself the lowest names - this will only make things worse. Just get ready and go to an unscheduled workout or, if you are sick, for example, wait for a complete recovery and add some additional load to each workout - 10 minutes of running on a treadmill, say. This will add motivation and confidence to you that your omissions will not affect the result in any way.

Behavioral motivation

  • How to motivate yourself to exercise at home? Start changing your eating habits. Along with exercise, nutrition is very important for weight loss. And if you start eating healthy and varied, and even photographing your culinary masterpieces, this will become additional motivation to avoid eating harmful foods. And it’s not far from being a food blogger!
  • Buy sportswear. Well, how can you sign up for a gym without having what to wear?! And I definitely don’t want to wear old sweatpants and stretched T-shirts. Therefore, fork out for a beautiful and fashionable sports uniform, high-quality sneakers, a sports bag, a bright water bottle - all this will be an excellent motivation and will cheer you up in the locker room!
  • Start not on Monday, but right away. Believe me, it doesn’t take long to get ready. If you decide to go to the gym, go right away. Right now, pack your bag and go to the gym. Or even without a bag and without a uniform. Just come to the nearest gym and ask what sports disciplines are there, what training formats they can offer, and how much a subscription costs. When you see a lot of athletic people doing something for their goals, believe me, it will be a great motivation!
  • Tell everyone what you are going to do and what goals you set for yourself. How more people They will find out about this, the more responsible you will be about it. Many will be interested in how things are going, and this is - great way Motivate yourself for training and sports. Besides, you just want to prove to others that you said and did!
  • Reward yourself. Once you start taking the first steps in the right direction, treat yourself! No, we are not talking about sweets or pizza now. Replace the pleasure of food with aesthetic pleasure: go to the movies, to a concert, to the theater, treat yourself to an excursion or an interesting hiking trip, go to a beauty salon or spa treatments. Have you ever wanted a new phone? Promise yourself that you will buy it as soon as you achieve your cherished goal - why not financial motivation?!

Daily regime

As we said above and as many fitness experts believe, motivation is only the first step to results. Next, it must develop into discipline - a habit and regime from which one cannot deviate. This is how you can motivate yourself to train and play sports, and confidently achieve your goals.

  • The first point of mental motivation begins with nutrition. And here it is the same: create a diet, number of meals, meal times and do not deviate from it. Don't skip breakfast, and if you need to eat during the workday, take some bowls with you. Learn to plan your meals in advance: buy the necessary products, cook the night before or several days in advance. This is also a great motivator!
  • Design your training regimen so that it is as convenient as possible for you. If you literally carve out an hour to workout in the middle of an incredibly stressful workday, you're unlikely to make it through. long time. It is best to set aside time in the morning or after work, or on a weekend. Believe me, even two workouts a week will give results if done regularly.
  • Start studying with a like-minded person. Find someone among your friends and acquaintances who also wants to start training. Select the most suitable type of training for you, agree on the regimen, and go ahead! It’s always more interesting together, and you can motivate each other to go to class. And if there is no like-minded person, hire a personal trainer or go to a group lesson.
  • Don't forget about rest. This is very important, believe me! If you don't allow your body to recover, all you will end up feeling is incredible fatigue and loss of strength.

What kind of motivation and goal achievement can we talk about here?! Therefore, do not forget that you must get enough sleep, and at least a day must pass between workouts - then you will have many times more strength and energy.

These are the techniques and tips that will help you motivate yourself to play sports and go to the gym. With such a competent approach and planning, you can lose weight and quickly achieve any goals you set for yourself!


Natalya Govorova

Reading time: 3 minutes

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“Tomorrow I’ll start running!”, we say decisively to ourselves and, opening our eyes in the morning, we grin and turn over to the other side - to finish dreaming. It is almost impossible to force yourself to get up and go to training. Either you’re lazy, or you want to sleep, or you don’t have time, or you just ate, but you can’t eat on a full stomach, etc. In three words, without motivation - nowhere!

  • What will help you overcome your laziness, and what are the most effective motivations for sports? We decide on goals. A goal is needed in any business. In this case, there may be several goals: beautiful figure , health, vitality , weight loss, muscle mass
  • etc. Fighting depression and stress. The phrase about healthy body and a healthy spirit can be changed in any direction, and the meaning will not change. Because, in general, both the state of mind and the health of the body are important. But if you are plagued by stress and depression, and you dream of regaining your love of life and optimism, then start with training. Excellent physical form
  • A strong-willed, athletic person is more attractive to the opposite sex. No one will be inspired by a loose, blurry creature with a dull look and pessimism in every word. A fit, strong person is initially considered by the opposite sex as a potential partner with whom they can connect their lives and continue their family line.
  • Sport trains willpower. Exercise stress– this is the need to constantly overcome oneself, fight vices, and perform daily feats. In the process of training, character is strengthened and a strong immunity to laziness is developed. After 2-3 months of daily exercise, the body perceives laziness with hostility. When you wake up, you want to get up immediately, you don’t have time to watch TV, you want to replace the chips with something healthy. That is, a person begins to manage his desires himself, and not they – to manage him.
  • Sport is incompatible with bad habits. Once you start training, you will no longer be able to smoke with a cup of coffee as usual - you will have to give up smoking. Moreover, it is not necessary to first quit smoking and then start training (this is almost impossible with weak willpower). It’s easier to start training, and only then will the realization come to you that sports bring more pleasure and vigor than smoking.
  • A good motivation is letting your friends know that you are starting to exercise and plan to achieve certain results. It’s enough to say: “I promise to lose 10 kg in 2 months.” And you will have to work every day so as not to turn out to be idle and ruin your reputation.
  • Set yourself small goals— you don’t need to immediately rush to big ones (abs, elastic butt, waist 60 cm, minus 30 kg, etc.). Small goals are easier to achieve. Lost 3 kg? Set the next goal – another minus 5 kg. Reset? Aim for a narrow waist. Etc.
  • Find yourself good company for training. If you feel awkward or bored doing it alone, invite a friend - it will be more fun together, and it will be interesting to compete in the results.
  • Buy yourself an expensive, beautiful sports suit. Not just an old T-shirt and leggings, but to make men curl their necks when you run past them. And, of course,
  • Find a coach for yourself. You are unlikely to pay for his services constantly, but this period of time will be enough for you to get used to training.
  • If you really, really can’t force yourself to go for a run or start training,... Swimming in itself is pleasant, it trains your muscles, and you can show off in a swimsuit.
  • Take a photo before you start training. A month later, take a photo again and compare the results. The changes that you will see in the photo will encourage you to further exploits.
  • Buy jeans 1-2 sizes smaller. As soon as you can fasten them on yourself without serious effort and retracting your stomach, you can buy the next ones (even smaller).
  • Try to choose motivation that is not subject to “inflation”. For example, training with friends is good. But as soon as your friends get bored with activities, you will lose your incentive. Therefore, learn not to depend on external circumstances and train for the sake of your health, increasing your life expectancy, etc.
  • Music certainly increases the desire to move. But training is one of the reasons to unload the brain from tons of unnecessary information. Therefore, if you cannot resist the temptation to shove headphones into your ears, then at least play neutral music that allows you to disconnect from your thoughts and focus on the exercises.
  • Any business only produces results when it is done with pleasure. If you, gritting your teeth, go out to train in the morning and already at the exit of the entrance dream of returning home, then such training will not bring any benefit. Look for a sport that will bring you joy - so that you look forward to classes with anticipation, and don’t go to hard labor. For some, boxing will be a pleasure, for others, trampolining, for others, ping-pong, etc. As long as you feel good and your muscles work.
  • Not enough time? It just seems that sports take up a lot of your useful time, which can be used for more important things - communicating on social networks, meeting friends at McDonald's, etc. In fact, even 20 minutes of training a day will give results - improve your well-being, strengthen your health body, will increase your demands on yourself and your overall mood.
  • Start your journey to sports small! Don’t immediately rush into multi-kilometer races and swims, don’t set yourself difficult goals. Start with, for example, 20 squats. But every day! After a month, add 20 push-ups to them. Etc.
  • Morning exercises on fresh air invigorates better than a cup of strong coffee. An evening jog relieves fatigue and heaviness after work. Just 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes before dinner - and you are a completely different person. Cheerful, positive, successful in everything and bursting with love for life. Such people always attract you.
  • Don't try to be like anyone. Someone else’s model of training, life, behavior may simply not suit you. Find your workout program. Those exercises that will bring you joy and benefit. Even if it’s a “bike” and push-ups from the bed within the bedroom.
  • Can't stand it when strangers look at you? You feel sick from the smell of sweat in gym? Train at home. You will save money and your training will be more effective.
  • Have you been working out for two weeks now, but the needle on the scale is still at the same number? Throw away the scales and continue to enjoy your activities.

Word " motivation" is of Latin origin and is derived from the verb " moveo", which translated into Russian means " move" Taking this fact into account, motivation can be defined as a process of a psychoactive nature that is driven by a person who wants to achieve a certain goal. Motivation plays a vital role in all spheres of human life, including sports.

The issue of motivation is relevant not only for those involved in sports for the purpose of self-development, but also for professionals. Because everyone experiences a lack of motivation at one time or another. There are days when a person simply doesn’t even want to get out of bed, much less go for a run or go to the gym. And if such a feeling is given slack, then there is no simpler way to talk about success in sports. In sports there is no place for a happy or random coincidence of circumstances. Everything depends solely on own strength will, aspiration, stems from the athlete’s motives and motivations.

Motivation- this is one of key points in a sport to which even training is second in importance. To achieve truly great achievements, skill and talent alone are not enough. Without iron willpower, perseverance, strong character It is simply impossible to achieve any heights in sports. And even if such great athletes as Romario say that training is only for weaklings, this should be taken solely as a joke.

Getting the desired result in sports allows you to be completely dedicated and get out of your own comfort zone. This applies not only to those people who strive for such heights as Olympic gold, but also to those who want to have a beautiful relief body, bring your weight back to normal. Regardless of what goal a person wants to achieve, the result will be equal to the efforts made and expended.

Important points that allow everyone to find the willpower to not lose interest or desire to play sports. They are quite simple, and their clear presentation in front of you allows you to constantly feel the desire to move forward and only forward:

Achieve success

Being successful, regardless of the sport, is something that brings true pleasure and self-satisfaction to every athlete, allowing them to receive recognition for all the effort and time spent on training. And what more difficult way to true success, the higher the degree of satisfaction experienced.

Confession

When the results become noticeable and significant, and the people around them recognize them, this certainly affects the athlete’s self-respect, allows him to feel his own dignity, and in some cases gain confidence.

Growth and development

Long-term goals and prospects give confidence not only in the present, but also in the future.

Quality training content

To avoid boredom and reluctance to start another workout, you should carefully select exercises. They should be interesting and varied. This has a positive effect on sporting achievements.

Self-discipline and self-improvement

These are the two main keys to achieving full self-realization in sports, regardless of the global nature of the tasks you set for yourself. And these are quite difficult moments, because you have to make certain sacrifices. If walks, parties, hobbies can interfere with your usual routine, you need to be able to refuse them.

Of course, this will be very difficult to do. But only such difficulties and a clear awareness that the rejection of “excesses” gives an iron will. Without it, it is impossible to achieve anything worthwhile in life, to rise to heights that one could only dream of. When this happens, nothing can compare with this feeling. It completely justifies all the difficulties experienced. It costs a lot to be a winner in life!

To be motivated, you must always have the desire to keep yourself in good shape, feel a charge of strength and energy. And this is the true truth. Athletes belong to that category of people who are proud of what they do. They constantly feel a surge of strength, full of energy, look to the future with confidence, and have a clear idea of ​​their intentions and goals. This allows you to find a clear meaning in life, which is to live in order to achieve something. Such an attitude distinguishes an athlete from the general gray crowd. Being active and playing sports means living an eventful life.

Where to look for inspiration for motivation?

Looking at those who managed to completely overcome themselves, achieve one hundred percent dedication and self-discipline, it will be difficult to find another excuse not to exercise. Remember that missing a workout instantly sets any athlete back two steps, no matter how hard they worked out before.

Ways to overcome the period of “breakdown”

Every athlete faces a moment when his motivation begins to wane, and his further desire to exercise steadily declines. This can happen both during the active period of achieving a goal, when all the difficulties seem to be left behind, and after complete triumph - obtaining the cherished result.

This stage has clearly defined “symptoms” of a decline in motivation:

  • self-pity, which leads to the fact that the athlete simply stops giving one hundred percent in training;
  • lack of any pleasure from training, which becomes a routine rather than a tool for self-development;
  • a gradual reduction in the duration of classes, when, instead of the allotted time, the training lasts much less.

Overcoming this recession is not very easy. The main thing is to pull yourself together and not give up. Not many people succeed. After all, a huge number of people start playing sports, but only a few manage to achieve real success. Only seven percent actually achieve their goal; the rest are simply wasting their time. It was these lucky seven percent who were able to abandon the word “want”, replacing it with “need”.

If an athlete has real motivation, he will never be stopped by a period of breakdown or failure. He always goes further and knows how to work on his mistakes. That's what it is real strength will, which consists in the fact that difficulties and obstacles do not break, but strengthen them even more. In addition, there is one trick that allows you to quickly overcome the “rift”.

To get out of a period of low motivation, you need to monitor your progress. There is no universal training program that suits absolutely everyone without exception. Therefore, if classes cease to bring results, changes are necessary. Otherwise, the pleasure from training will not return. You need to experiment and find exactly what suits you.

Finally

A striking motivational example is the statement that he said that you shouldn’t complain about poor metabolism and genetics, you just need to get off the couch and start working on yourself, set a goal and believe in yourself. We should not forget that, first of all, you need to conquer yourself, and then no difficulties will be a hindrance.

This article is not for those for whom one word “need” is enough to overcome laziness and force of circumstances. We hope that it will serve those who remain well.

1. Give yourself a tangible reward

A bird in the hands is better than a pie in the sky. Visionary goals like “good health,” “longevity,” “a stunning body,” or “I’m on trend” may not be tangible enough for most. What to do? Come up with a reward that you can “touch.” For example, you can treat yourself to something sweet after a grueling hike in.

Lestertair/Shutterstock.com

Charles Duhigg, an American writer, Yale University graduate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Excellence, talks in detail about how this works. In his book “The Power of Habit. Why we live and work the way we do.” Charles delves into the science behind the formation of ingrained habits and describes the three-step creation of a neurological “habit loop.” Let's try to briefly explain what it is.

First, there is a sign that causes the brain to turn on auto mode and run habitual action, then comes the action itself (physical, mental and emotional), and it all ends with receiving a reward. The last stage is especially important: thanks to it, the action acquires a certain benefit for you. It is because of this that the brain understands that the game is worth the trouble, and in the future it more willingly or simply automatically starts the “habit loop”.

Let's translate what we read into a real situation. You pack your bag for the gym (sign), train (action), relax to the latest episode of your favorite TV series (reward).

Over time, motivation begins to come from within, because the brain directly associates sweat and pain with the upcoming release - the very hormones of happiness that give pleasure to our brain.

2. Make a public promise.

It’s cool to be a full-fledged owner of your word: if you wanted it, you gave it, if you wanted it, you took it away! There is no responsibility for the guilty party, for example, for a breakdown. However, once you express your intentions publicly, the rules of the game will seriously change. Try posting a photo of your new sneakers on Instagram and vow to try them out in a five-kilometer race. Believe me, you will have many sensitive and attentive judges. :)

Aren't you afraid of cheeky jokes and rude comments? Include material penalties in the contract. Choose a happy “victim” and promise to pay her a certain amount for each failure to train. Of course, the figure should be high: for some a couple of dollars is enough, but for others the rate will rise to hundreds. And the “freebie recipient” will certainly follow your sports (non-)successes.

The effectiveness of this approach is confirmed by Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert, PhD, assistant professor of medical sciences at Stanford University. Jeremy links to the popular site stickK, created by economists at Yale University. On the site, users can declare their intentions to bring their goal to life at any cost, write down a plan for achieving it and put their reputation or money on the line. Years of academic research confirm that greedy people do not like to lose money; such public contracts triple the chance of success. Moreover, long-term agreements have an advantage over short-term ones.

3. Work on positive thinking

99% of early rises are not good. However, as soon as you imagine yourself stretching out on your bed in the evening with your favorite book in your hands, pleasant notes of anticipation will immediately color a not-so-terrible morning. You are now among the remaining 1%! And all because positive visualization is a faithful companion of motivation. Think about how great it is to watch your abs form, and the moral strength to go to the gym will appear by itself.

However, dreams alone are not enough - certain conditions must be met. Gabriele Oettingen, Ph.D., psychologist at New York University, author of several books, talks about them. In his work Rethinking Positive Thinking, Gabriel describes a rigorous structure that can produce positive results. It consists of:

  • understanding what you want to achieve;
  • representations of what the result is associated with;
  • identifying obstacles that may be encountered on the way to the goal;
  • formulating ways to overcome possible obstacles.

The proposed scheme is based on a study in which fifty students took part with a firm intention to eat healthier food. The girls were asked to present a benefit proper nutrition. Those who clearly understood the goal and built a detailed plan to achieve it were more successful in their endeavor.

4. Get cash rewards

No matter what the idealists mutter, money still rules the world. Even future American presidents get into office with the help of former presidents, immortalized on currency with a green tint.

In relation to our topic, money can help motivate you to achieve athletic achievements. Gary Charness, Ph.D., theorist, talks about this economic sciences at the University of California. The words are backed up by research showing that monetary incentives doubled the frequency of going to the gym.

Of course, only a few can find a generous sponsor who will dare to accompany your physical education achievements with a strong ruble. Therefore, you can try the Gym-pact web service. His community pays for successful workouts at the expense of those who miss classes. Everyone chips in, and the site distributes the funds among those who firmly follow the chosen path. Of course, lazy people get nothing.


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Unfortunately, the service does not work in all regions of the world, please check.

How do you motivate yourself to get off the couch?

Lack of motivation for sports? How to play sports with pleasure? How can girls and boys motivate themselves to play sports? How can you help yourself achieve your goals? How to do exercises every day and overcome laziness? How to switch to a healthy diet?

From the video you are 5 simple tips for self-motivation for sports. With pleasure :)

How to stop forcing yourself to do something. And stop beating yourself up if something goes wrong. Let's talk about this a little too :)

I am for doing everything of my own free will :) Therefore, I believe that you need to motivate yourself and communicate with yourself.

In this case, you change your lifestyle and yourself easily. Although not quickly. But then the result will be permanent. You will feel like a satisfied kitty :)

Top 5 motivators for sports.

Better watch the video. I will be pleased :) I edited it with love and I tell you more there. But, in short, here are my top 5 motivators for sports today:

1. Find pictures of bodies you like.

Surround yourself with them. Screensavers on your desktop, pictures on your phone, a folder with a selection of photos, posters...

2. Find a group of like-minded people.

Join me, at least :) The party may be among those you don’t know yet. Social networks, YouTube channels, websites and blogs...

Choose what you like and supports your desire for health and sports.

3. Praise yourself.

Stop getting stuck on failures and failures. Praise yourself every time you take any step towards your goal. Even the smallest one.

4. Connect.

Notice beautiful and slim people everywhere. Associate yourself with them. Notice to yourself what you like about other people's figures.

Think about the fact that these people manage to keep themselves in shape, and there are a lot of such people. This means you will succeed 100%!!!

5. Motivate yourself with clothes.

Wear revealing and tight clothing. At least at home.