Motivation

[Head Hunter]

I'm having a hard time staying motivated working out by myself

I used to be motivated bc I was in a relationship and I wanted to look and feel my best for her an also it felt good when she complemented me but now that we've broken up, I dont know if its just me being depressed or lazy but I havent been able to get enough motivation to get off my ass and go workout.

I was just curious how yall motivate yourselves to go workout.

I was thinking of getting a personal trainer or getting a couple buddies together to go workout wiht me. Have them there to push me to work harder and on the days I dont really feel like working out them making me neway.

Thanks for the thoughts

[greenrebel]

friends are good, they will push you, especially when you are not the best lifter in the group (you want to be the best so you have to workout harder to become the best).

I on the other hand just have the drive to workout. It helps me relieve all the anger and pressure that has built up during the day. I think that if I don't lift then I would probably end up taking it out on someone innocent or on something that is just going to hurt me (ie. a wall).

[Cammin4V]

Im going to have to agree with the stress relief. I think its good to work out with a partner, but i prefer to work out alone. I go in there, get away from everything, and release my anger or stress from the day. It is a chance to be alone and think about stuff for me. Motivation is just to stay in shape and have a decent body as well.

[Merkur]

me personally, i have goals to accomplish. and they require some physcial fitness.

i want to regulary send 5.10+ grade multi-pitch trad climbs, i want to slug it up some more (and taller!) mountains, i want to do some ice climbing this winter and i'm preparing for a shot at an assent of "the nose" on el capitan.

looking good is simply a bi-product of building the body i require to do the things i aspire to do.

[Frogger]

I know exactly what you mean by needing motivation, Maddhatter. Thankfully, I have my husband to help motivate me at times and its nice that I have my own workout room at my place, (so less distance to drag my fat ass). :D

When Im feeling low and need some help, I typically spend about thirty minutes reading a fitness mag or reading about some of my role models achievements....these people (http://www.dfwstangs.net/vb222/showthread.php?s=&threadid=59032).

I refocus on what my true goals are and why Im doing them. I think of the feeling of accomplishment, energy, and satisfaction I feel in myself afterwards that nothing else can simulate. Im a big self motivator and battles are fought in my head when it comes time to step up on the treadmill. ;)

Then I remind myself that if it was easy...everyone would look fabulous. And for me thats all the challenge I need.

With that said, I think Ive talked myself into working out. ;)
Good luck and keep with it. The results can last a lifetime. :)


Karen

[Cooter]

"Anger is a gift" -- RATM

[greenrebel]

I don't know what exactly you are saying Forrest but if "Anger is a gift" then I better make sure my gift doesn't get me into trouble:D

[Cooter]

I'm saying take all your rage and hatred and frustration and meditate on it and ball it up into a nice explosive package and unleash it on the weights...

get mad.

[ProStarPony]

I look at the pics around the house of my chubby and I tend to remember to comments about the subject, THAT does it!

[The Raven]

Overall health has it's own rewards, but you also need to place realistic short term goals to keep yourself from getting burnt out. If your overall goal is the size and shape of Ronnie Coleman, even the utmost self-motivated and genetically gifted person will be daunted at the task of gaining 50-80lbs of solid muscle. Even with the right tools and motivation, it will be a good long while before coming anywhere close to realizing that goal, no matter how realistic it may be. By making shorter term goals that you can work towards and accomplish in a month or two, your sense of accomplishment is sometimes all that's needed to propel you into the next two months.

[Speedn88Stang]

My motivation....Hmmm there are alot of factors to it lol. It is a great stress reliever and it also gives me time to think about what is going on in my life and what needs to be done and when. I also do it b/c when im in shape i generally feel like a better person and im more alive. Everytime im done working out i feel like a million bucks.

Other reasons of motivation would be from all of the little punk ass kids in elementary to the end of middle school calling me the fat kid and fatass and such. Once i got in football and baseball in HS i was no longer that kid and i loved it. I was still the same person but didnt have the label dragging around me. I was now the kid that everyone was like damn man you are "swole", "thick" etc. I liked that and i have liked it for the past 6 years of my life. I dont wanna go back to the fat kid.

I basically work out to look good and to enable me to do the things i want to do in life. Another reason of mine is just to show the punk ass kids i can do it. Thanks god im a nice guy lol. Im a sophomore in College now so an other reason i do it is for the women lol. Im single and dont feel like being tied down at the moment and everyone knows the better you look the better the girls you get look. So that is one big extra to working out. :p

I work out at my house so i dont have to drive. I have a treadmill, weight bench and an assortment of dumbells.

One last motivational thing: Taking off your shirt at the pool or beach and not being embrassed. I was never a "fat" kid when i was younger(chubby or husky lol would do it) and i never took off my shirt when i went swimming or to the beach. Now i can do it and look better than other guys out there.

I love motivation lol. :D

[Todd]

Use that which you think is negative ina positive way. Sort of goes along with Forrest there.

Your girl is gone and that was some of your motivation - use that! Get to looking even better to help attract that next girl (or maybe that last one back if that is your situation). Use the fact that she is gone to motivate you to look even better than ever before and have that "I'll show her" attitude.

But mostly do it for yourself! You know down deep inside what you want to look like and you have an idea of the benefits you'll get from it. Remember that!

I tend to be in better shape when I am not in a relationship. I have more time to devote to a workout, I tend not to eat as bad either. And My motivation had always been to look better for that next one. Maybe I'm goofy that way.

Right now I would like change the way I look in order to impress my wife who I think looks tons better than I do, but also because it does make me feel awesome to see gains of heavier weight or visual gains in the mirror. There is a look that I'd like to achieve and I am far from there, so I keep going. At least I see the progress, and that is a huge motivator for me.

[Head Hunter]

My Goal is to look like Brad Pitt from Fight Club :(
Am I shooting to high?

[Todd]

Originally posted by MaddHatter
My Goal is to look like Brad Pitt from Fight Club :(
Am I shooting to high?

No way. not shooting too high at all.

[Lethal]

Originally posted by MaddHatter
My Goal is to look like Brad Pitt from Fight Club :(
Am I shooting to high?

I wouldn't say too high. I had some girl compliment me at the gym last week saying that's how my body was (Brad Pitt). He's leaner than I am, but hearing things like that is motivation itself. I used to be scrawny (20+ lbs lighter), and knowing that people see me different now is enough to keep me going. :)

[Cooter]

Originally posted by MaddHatter
My Goal is to look like Brad Pitt from Fight Club :(
Am I shooting to high?

you realize most of those actors that get all shredded and vascular for a particular film use steroids, right?