Overcoming Barriers: Motivation
Whether you are just starting on your fitness journey or you have been a longstanding exerciser, the chances are that everyone has found it difficult to stay motivated to exercise. Making any change in your behaviour or lifestyle can be challenging, this article is here to give you some support and tips that you can use to help keep your motivation levels high.
It is not uncommon to experience relapses in trying to adhere to an exercise programme. In a study by Sallis et al, 1990, out of 1800 people, 20% had experienced one or two relapses (not exercising for 3-4 months) and another 20% had experienced three or more relapses within the past 5 years. If you ever experience one of these relapses, it is okay! Be kind to yourself and remember that this is not a failure - it’s simply life getting in the way!
Here are a few tips to help you get off the ground:
Prioritise Enjoyment
If you are not enjoying what you are doing, the more you won't want to do it. If you are feeling this way, try something new! Maybe you want to try a new group fitness class, or training type? You might want to try something outside the gym all together such as, bouldering, salsa dancing, ultimate frisbee etc. Choose activities that you look forward to attending.
Set Goals
Sit down with yourself and set some realistic goals. These goals can vary from: how many times you want to train per week to aiming to bench press 50% of your bodyweight. Get creative with your goals and think outside the box. Your goals can be fun rather than aiming for a certain amount of weight loss. Celebrate the little wins!
Recruit a Mate
Working out can seem so much more fun when you have someone there doing it with you. Maybe you both have a group fitness class that you have always wanted to try or a workout plan that the two of you can do together. Having a mate with you to cheer you on and keep you accountable is a real boost to your motivation levels.
Seek Professional Support
If you are struggling with your confidence and your accountability, seeking support from professionals in the fitness industry can really help your motivation. Perhaps you have thought about enlisting some help from a personal trainer. The great thing about having a personal trainer is that you can "lock in" appointments with them so that you must show up. You also won't have to think about what to do while you are in the gym as your PT has already created a workout plan for you! If personal training isn't your thing, attending group fitness classes might be. Group Fitness Instructors are trained in their particular field to plan the class and deliver it to you. You don’t have to do any thinking at all, simply just show up! There are a range of different classes that you can attend depending on how you feel. If you are feeling something low intensity – go with yoga or Pilates, if you are feeling like getting your sweat on, maybe a HIIT class would suit you!
References
Anderson, V., 2013. Exercise Motivation: How to Get It, How to Keep It. [online] WebMD. Available at: <https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/exercise-motivation#1> [Accessed 7 May 2021].
Dunlap, J. and Barry, H., 1999. Overcoming Exercise Barriers in Older Adults. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, [online] 27(11), pp.69-75. Available at: <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913847.1999.11439371> [Accessed 7 May 2021].
Firth, J., Rosenbaum, S., Stubbs, B., Gorczynski, P., Yung, A. and Vancampfort, D., 2016. Motivating factors and barriers towards exercise in severe mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, [online] 46(14), pp.2869-2881. Available at: <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/motivating-factors-and-barriers-towards-exercise-in-severe-mental-illness-a-systematic-review-and-metaanalysis/1802F617B64F75CF6721FE59A2F73D1F> [Accessed 7 May 2021].
Lindberg, S., 2019. How to Motivate Yourself to Work Out: 32 Tips for All Levels. [online] Healthline. Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/how-to-motivate-yourself-to-workout#general-tips> [Accessed 7 May 2021].
McArthur, D., Dumas, A., Woodend, K., Beach, S. and Stacey, D., 2014. Factors influencing adherence to regular exercise in middle-aged women: a qualitative study to inform clinical practice. BMC Women's Health, [online] 14(1). Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3975263/> [Accessed 7 May 2021].
Teixeira, P., Silva, M., Mata, J., Palmeira, A. and Markland, D., 2012. Motivation, self-determination, and long-term weight control. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, [online] 9(1), p.22. Available at: <https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5868-9-22#citeas> [Accessed 7 May 2021].