It's always a good idea to take time out of your day to step back and determine what's most important to you. Today, your assignment is to think about what motivates you to exercise? Take time to write the reasons down and keep them in a safe place. It's good practice to come back and review your motivations and see if different factors have changed over time.
Do you exercise because you need to stay fit for your job (military, sports officials, etc..)? Do you exercise because you are conscious about your health? Do you do it because it is something you truly enjoy? Do you exercise because it's something you know you "should do" or "have to do"?
I exercise for a bunch of reasons:
1. I enjoy the rush of energy during exercise.
2. I like to challenge myself and see what kind of changes I can make to my body.
3. I want to have control over my health.
4. I exercise because I want to perform well during competitions in 2012.
5. I exercise because it's a social event for me to see some of my friends at the gym.
6. I do it because exercise is something I love to do.
Now, I want to focus on the intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors for exercise. Research has shown in many different cases that people who are motivated by intrinsic factors (personal motivation, achievement, etc...) out-perform and even perform longer than those simply motivated by extrinsic forces (pressure from others, social pressure, media pressures, etc...). I know that in order for me to truly enjoy my time training and keep up quality workouts, I need to focus on my intrinsic drive!
If you noticed, all of my reasons to exercise are intrinsic drives and that's the way I want to keep it. Take your list of motivations and look it over carefully. Find the intrinsic motivators on the list and stick to them. You'll find exercise much more rewarding and stress-free if you pursue your intrinsic drives.
What motivates you?
Russ
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