Regardless of what your goals are, motivation plays a critical role in keeping you on track and moving forward.
Whether we're tired, sore from a previous workout, or stressing over life, we all have days when we feel less than our best. On days like this, it's hard enough to get out of our mental funk, let alone drag ourselves to the gym for a workout.
Going to the grocery store to replenish the supply of oats, veggies, chicken, and tuna seems like a harrowing task, so you take a trip through a fast food drive-thru instead.
The mirror has become your mortal enemy, and you avoid it as often as you avoid the scale, or that pair of jeans you used to love.
Stuffing one more clean meal into your mouth turns your stomach, and you feel like everything you used to love about food has gone down the drain, along with the pasta, sweets, and bread you can no longer eat.
Soon your mood begins to tank even more than it was before you started feeling as if your hard work isn't paying off. Your goals seem so far out of reach you need a pair of binoculars to catch sight of them again!
We've all been there, and some of us might be there right now.
Losing your mojo for any period of time is undoubtedly unnerving, but it doesn't have to derail your progress. The following strategies will propel you out of the land of "blahs" and reignite the fire that's burning within.
A motivational imagery tactic I use to get me through my training is the phrase, "Where am I now?" Instead of worrying about the cardio session later in the day or my weight training session tomorrow night, I'll focus on what I am doing right now.
"Where am I now?" I'll think to myself.
"Well, I'm here in the weight room working on my shoulders and pushing the intensity."
"What am I doing right now?"
"I'm on my second set. I'm going to put my all into this set before I even worry about the third set. And I'll finish my third set before worrying about the next exercise."
As athletes, our training is sufficiently difficult on its own without adding more stress to our preparation. What I do tomorrow morning doesn't matter right now because tomorrow will come without me having to dwell on it. Focus solely on what you're doing in a particular moment because that's all you have control over at any time.
By focusing your attention on the present you'll not only get a better workout, but you'll relieve yourself from the stress of worrying about what workout is next and how you'll perform.
Another imagery strategy I used during my contest prep was to imagine myself on stage standing next to the other competitors. I didn't want to be on stage looking at other competitors and thinking to myself, "Geez, if only I'd pushed myself a little harder in my cardio session or lifted heavier, I could look like her."
I wanted to have zero regrets. I wanted to get on that stage knowing that I worked my absolute hardest and that I didn't cheat myself on my workouts or diet.
Visualizing what I wanted and seeing my goals in my mind's eye really helped to push me through my down and out days.
In order to maximize your progress and keep yourself focused, just remember that your training is an accumulation of everything that you do in a day. What you eat, what you drink, and how much you sleep are just as important as the time you put in with the iron.
Each bite of food, each swallow of water, each rep in the weight room, and each step on the treadmill are all building blocks needed to reach your goal. You're in essence eating, drinking, sleeping, and lifting your training.
When you remember that each activity you do has a purpose and is helping you to reach your target, you'll feel more motivated to complete them.
Find your favorite motivational phrases and post them around your living and work space. Post some on your fridge, keep one in your wallet, turn one into your computer background, or set one on your desk. This way, whenever you're feeling like you need a mental pick-me-up, you have a motivational phrase ready to inspire you.
Here are some of my favorites:
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." — John Wooden
"What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?" — Robert Schuller
"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." — Wayne Dyer
"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it." — William Durant
"I'm not telling you it is going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it." — Art Williams
A picture is worth a thousand words. So, post some pictures of people you admire on your refrigerator, your desk, or in your purse to remind you of your goals. Post pictures of yourself when you were at your goal weight or when you felt your best.
When preparing for my show, I kept photos of Monica Brandt and Valerie Waugaman in my notebook and on my refrigerator. Whenever I felt like my training wasn't getting me anywhere or that I wasn't going to reach my goals, I'd look at their photos for inspiration and remind myself that if they could do it, then so could I!
When you look at yourself in the mirror daily, it's tough to notice the changes happening in your body. That's why taking progress pictures is so important. It captures your body in different stages of your development and gives you the third-person perspective to see how you've changed.
Looking at pictures of yourself from three weeks ago and being able to see the differences in your physique is a valuable training tool. Instead of relying on the memory of what you looked like three weeks ago, the changes you see in the pictures are tangible. Seeing the changes in your photos week by week is a surefire way to keep you motivated.
Then when you've reached your goal, you can put all the pictures side by side in a timeline so you can see the week by week progression of your training.
Don't let a moment go by that you don't remind yourself what your goals are. If you focus on your goals throughout the day, they'll become ingrained in everything you do. The mind is very powerful like that.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to evaluate your goals and keep you focused on pushing through the days when you feel drab and unmotivated:
What are you training for?
Why do you have these specific goals?
What happens when you reach your goals?
How will you feel each day that you move closer to your goal?
How will you feel when you reach your goals?
What did you do today to work towards your goals?
If you're feeling blue or in need of a pick-me-up, making time for yourself is a wonderful way to relieve stress and rejuvenate your spirit. Treating yourself to some TLC is a guaranteed mood booster and is a way to celebrate all your training accomplishments and remind yourself of all the hard work you're putting in that deserves recognition.
So take a walk, enjoy coffee with friends, indulge in a massage, get a manicure/pedicure, treat yourself to something new, or just curl up on your couch with a good book for a few hours.
Pamper yourself when you feel you need it or schedule a once a week "treat" so that you have something to look forward to. Even setting aside 30 minutes each day for yourself will do wonders for your psyche.
We all need a kick in the pants now and then. No matter how great we feel one day, we're bound to have a day when we'd like nothing less than to stay in bed. Just remember that those feelings will pass, and by using these strategies you can make sure that your bad day doesn't turn into the week of doom.
Thinking positively and finding victories in everything you do each day is what'll keep you focused as you train, sweat, diet, and push yourself to new levels of excellence. Find the motivation strategy that works best for you and start inspiring yourself today!
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