Motivation Comes From Within
I've been asked how I always have the motivation to workout. Motivation comes from within. The days that I just don't feel like making it to the gym are few and far between. Since I started lifting almost 2 years ago, I can count the days that I "just didn't feel like it" on one hand. I'm not perfect, but I genuinely enjoy what I do.
Yes, everyone has those days, and some probably more than others, but I think when your workout is something that you truly enjoy, you look forward to it more than you look for excuses to put it off.
I love to lift. It is an opportunity to build myself that I refuse to miss out on. I want to lift, and I want to improve, and I want to succeed as badly as I want to breathe. Lifting is an escape from what other people deem me capable of, where I am the only person standing between myself and my goals. Lifting is not a chore. It is my passion. I don't have to convince myself to get up and get the energy to go to the gym because just thinking about becoming a better, stronger version of myself is motivating and energizing enough.
For me, cardio is a different story. I don't necessarily always look forward to or enjoy it, which is why I don't do any cardio while I'm building. Yes, there are some benefits of off season cardio for bodybuilders (keeping fat burning pathways open, stimulating appetite), but since it's not a necessity in helping me reach my goals, and since I don't particularly enjoy it, I don't force myself to do it. Even during the on season or when I'm in a fat loss phase, I do as little as possible. (Sometimes none at all, depending on my progress.) This directly translates to keeping my motivation up. Instead of burning out my energy and passion forcing myself to do something that I don't enjoy, I'm able to keep that same energy and passion alive for something I do enjoy.
Not everyone has to love lifting weights. That's ok. It can be running, rock climbing, playing volleyball, etc. What I think is important is finding something that you actually enjoy doing. Even if it's not the most effective workout per se, doing it long term will still yield more results than doing something perhaps more effective for a short amount of time. If you have to force yourself to endure it, it's only a matter of time until you quit all together. Pick your battles, because energy and willpower are not endless resources.
I also want to make the point that working out should not be viewed as a punishment. You should not force yourself to workout as a punishment for overeating. You should not punish yourself with exercise because you hate your body, because you think you're fat, or because you feel you have to pay the price for whatever reason you're unhappy about. When you make the switch and begin to view your workout as an opportunity to better yourself, to become stronger, to accomplish things that you could not do before, you start to see exercise (and yourself) in a new light. It's no longer something you have to do; it's something you get to do. When you see yourself, your mind, and your body for all the things that you're capable of, instead of all the things that you're not or all the things that you wish you were, you find a new appreciation of and respect for yourself.
Yes, everyone has those days, and some probably more than others, but I think when your workout is something that you truly enjoy, you look forward to it more than you look for excuses to put it off.
I love to lift. It is an opportunity to build myself that I refuse to miss out on. I want to lift, and I want to improve, and I want to succeed as badly as I want to breathe. Lifting is an escape from what other people deem me capable of, where I am the only person standing between myself and my goals. Lifting is not a chore. It is my passion. I don't have to convince myself to get up and get the energy to go to the gym because just thinking about becoming a better, stronger version of myself is motivating and energizing enough.
For me, cardio is a different story. I don't necessarily always look forward to or enjoy it, which is why I don't do any cardio while I'm building. Yes, there are some benefits of off season cardio for bodybuilders (keeping fat burning pathways open, stimulating appetite), but since it's not a necessity in helping me reach my goals, and since I don't particularly enjoy it, I don't force myself to do it. Even during the on season or when I'm in a fat loss phase, I do as little as possible. (Sometimes none at all, depending on my progress.) This directly translates to keeping my motivation up. Instead of burning out my energy and passion forcing myself to do something that I don't enjoy, I'm able to keep that same energy and passion alive for something I do enjoy.
Not everyone has to love lifting weights. That's ok. It can be running, rock climbing, playing volleyball, etc. What I think is important is finding something that you actually enjoy doing. Even if it's not the most effective workout per se, doing it long term will still yield more results than doing something perhaps more effective for a short amount of time. If you have to force yourself to endure it, it's only a matter of time until you quit all together. Pick your battles, because energy and willpower are not endless resources.
I also want to make the point that working out should not be viewed as a punishment. You should not force yourself to workout as a punishment for overeating. You should not punish yourself with exercise because you hate your body, because you think you're fat, or because you feel you have to pay the price for whatever reason you're unhappy about. When you make the switch and begin to view your workout as an opportunity to better yourself, to become stronger, to accomplish things that you could not do before, you start to see exercise (and yourself) in a new light. It's no longer something you have to do; it's something you get to do. When you see yourself, your mind, and your body for all the things that you're capable of, instead of all the things that you're not or all the things that you wish you were, you find a new appreciation of and respect for yourself.
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