Australian Men’s Fitness – September 2019

Struggling with staying committed and

enthusiastic? Follow these steps...

Boost your

motivation

● Game Changers Training

Figure out your

reasons why

n Ask yourself why

exactly you want to stay

fit, get strong, eat better,

or be healthier. Ask ‘why’.

If, for example, you want

to do a triathlon to get fit,

why do you want to get

fit? One reason could be

a desire to keep up with

your kids, in which case

you know you’re doing

a triathlon to be an

energetic dad – and there’s

your motivation for your

training, for the times you

want to do anything but.

Share your

workouts

n It’s all too easy to skip

a session when you’re the

only person who knows

about it. Sharing goals with

pals or on social media

can help you stay on track

when enthusiasm wanes.

Research conducted

by the University Of

Aberdeen, UK, in 2016

found that having

someone emotionally

supportive to actually

work out with also helps

to maintain frequency

of training.

Set goals, short and

longer term

n Setting goals isn’t

just about picking an

achievement and going

for it: you need to figure

out how you’re getting

there. Break the goal

down into weekly and

monthly targets. Make

sure you review at regular

intervals, commending

yourself for progress

and adjusting if things

aren’t working. There’s

nothing more demotivating

than regularly falling

short; better to scale back

and achieve.

Timetable rest

and holidays

n This is crucial: plan

workouts or meals ahead

of time, and plan rest

and breaks from your

regimen. It’s not just the

old adage ‘All work and

no play makes Jack a dull

boy’, either. It’s actually

productive to factor time

in for recuperation:

trained muscles only get

stronger with adequate

rest and nutrition, and

motivation works in

a similar way. Think of

your mind as a muscle.

Visualise the

desired result

n Whether it’s setting

a marathon PB, dropping

body fat or super-sizing

your deadlift, visualising

the end result can help

you realise your ambition.

Close your eyes and take

time to step into the scene:

where are you, what do

you feel, hear, see, and

experience when you

achieve your goal?

Getting clear on the

details makes it all

the more real, and

well within reach.

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40 MEN’S FITNESS SEPTEMBER 2019