Strategies for Maintaining Motivation in Exercise Routines
It can be quite difficult to muster the energy and willpower necessary to exercise regularly while also making time to fit within a busy daily schedule. To realize the true benefits of physical activity, however, the endeavors must persist. Only through consistent participation in exercise can a person expect to acquire the greater mental, physical, and emotional health promoted by the habit. Improved memory function, sleep, and mood, as well as a potent reduction in the symptoms associated with depression and anxiety disorders, are all commonly recognized advantages of engaging in regular exercise. The intricacies are myriad for those considering adding a new element into lives that are already busy enough as it is. However, the significant health benefits it has while affording one luxury to entertain simply cannot be ignored in the search of a good workout. While wanting to exercise is excellent, the motivation to exercise is often the driving force that propels workout plan success. Engaging in a routine practice of physical activity allows individuals to capitalize on the multitude of health benefits exercise fosters over a long-term period. Some of the aforementioned health benefits would include: weight loss, increased energy, enhanced muscle strength and cardiovascular function, improved endurance, and overall prevention of disease.
1. Understanding Motivation and Its Role in Exercise
Motivation is often cited as one of the primary
reasons underlying initial physical activity participation and the retention of
an exercise routine. Motivation to participate and adhere to exercise behaviors
can be grouped into one of two categories: intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic
motivation refers to the desire to exercise because of personal enjoyment or
perceived benefits most commonly associated with physical health, mental health
and well-being, and even social opportunities. Typically, intrinsic motivation
has been positively associated with initiating and adhering to exercise
conventionally and in the long term. Exercising for health and enjoyment has
often been cited as some of the most important reasons for exercise
involvement. Alternatively, extrinsic motivation is identified as exercising
because of external rewards such as recognition, money, awards, appearance,
and/or being incentivized by others. Extrinsic motivation has not always been
negatively associated with chronic illness populations, as seen in stems and
comparisons. Excessive goals, lack of intrinsic interest, external pressures
and rewards, and feeling inadequate or guilty about exercising less are
potential risks for high extrinsic motivation. Importantly, extrinsic
motivation can reinforce other forms of motivation to be continued and is
important in some respects but may impede well-being. Many factors including a
lack of time, fatigue, lack of interest, perceived or actual lack of fitness,
and multiple competing interests may influence motivation in exercise and
exercise adherence. Motivation varies greatly from person to person.
Understanding motivation for, and barriers to undertaking exercise provides a
basis for implementing strategies to maintain adherence to, and longer-term,
regular physical activity practices.
2. Practical Tips for Staying Motivated in Your Exercise Routine
The important thing to bear in mind, in terms of
motivation within the framework of exercise, is that it requires an environment
that supports regular activity. The practical strategies mentioned below are
designed to help you eliminate the reasons that prevent you from being
consistent in your exercise. Engagement in an exercise routine can be enhanced
by reminding oneself of the instrumental, long-term benefits and becoming
passionate about its outcomes. For example, becoming passionate about it being
a lifetime sport. It’s important for you to keep track of your intentions and
desired outcomes over time, which will make it easier for you to realize your
dream. When it comes to establishing exercise routines, we need to explore some
practical approaches and strategies based on principles related to psychology
and exercise biology. The following are some such interventions and
motivational strategies: 1. Find a reliable workout partner, or work out with a
group or team. 2. Use some of the latest technology to track your performance
and monitor improvement signals. 3. Program your workout routines on your
mobile phone, just as you would other appointments and commitments. 4. Create,
prefer, and participate in a variety of exercises that fit your preferences,
interests, health status, and time limitations. 5. To boost your enthusiasm,
use positive self-talk and visualize the image of your previous
accomplishments. 6. It’s better to concentrate during activities and not to
force any involvement in the process. 7. Have a clear idea about the positive
relationship between consistency, positive changes, and health benefits over
time. 8. Endow moments with a share of joy and express your joy in private or
in public to measure your performance and accomplish those activities.
3. Setting Realistic Goals and Tracking Progress
SMART Goals: Setting realistic and achievable goals is
fundamental to staying motivated in your exercise routine. This acronym
represents specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. By
setting smaller objectives that align with this criteria, you’re setting
yourself up for success by breaking down larger goals into smaller, more
manageable steps. Goal-setting is the hallmark of cognitive-behavioral therapy,
which works on improving emotional regulation and developing coping strategies
that target solving current problems. Two aspects for managing your goals are
monitoring your progress and understanding the direction you want to head in a
certain area of your life. Benchmarking where you are in relation to your goal
allows you to stay on top of your efforts and remain committed to your goals
and make the right strategies. When goals are set and not tracked, it could
result in the use of the wrong strategies resulting in limited success, or even
worse, complete failure.
In order to put your best foot forward, you’ll want to
ensure that your goals are well-informed and supported via the following steps:
a clear and specific outline of what goals you want to achieve, when you would
like to reach these goals, and how you’re going to track and maintain your
progress. Use specific aspects of your fitness regimen as the long- and
short-term indicators of your performance. This could come from overall weight
change to your cardiovascular function under stress being indicated by your
recovery data. Have this information readily accessible by putting it into a
journal strapped with your fitness equipment. Reflect on your progress often
and understand that steps taken backward are only temporary! As you progress,
it’s important to realize that things don’t always go to plan, and sometimes
this will result in setbacks. These setbacks are only temporary, and you should
consider them an opportunity to re-evaluate your direction and head in the
right direction. Always make things right, because success is the result of
staying positive, passionate, and persevering even during the toughest of
times.
4. Incorporating Variety and Enjoyment in Your Workouts
Variety is significant for maintaining exercise
because it helps to maintain or enhance enjoyment, which can thereafter
positively affect motivation. Making workouts stimulating helps prevent
boredom, provides a more comprehensive physical challenge, and adds a
psychosocial/spiritual dimension to physical activities. There are different
ways to include variety in exercise: trying new recreational pursuits to find
activities that are especially enjoyable; completely changing the environment
of your workouts, such as moving outside, to participate in activities that are
done outside; and varying within a chosen type of exercise, such as by
participating in group exercise, changing locations, sharing inviting music, or
performing exercises in different sequences in a circuit. Building enjoyable
workouts will also facilitate continuity of adoption and adherence and
encourage a commitment to develop physical activity habits.
Enjoyment is important for maintaining and adopting
exercise motivation and should thus be high on the priority list for health and
exercise professionals to recommend. Practitioners should encourage individuals
to specifically seek out activities that are both beneficial and enjoyable and
consider avoidance of activities that are disliked. Physical activity should
have meaning in the lives and interests of the participants. Enjoyment is
acquired as individuals seek out and accomplish experiences and relationships
that are personally meaningful. Variety and individualism are separate
concepts. There is no evidence to show that continually varying the physical
activity or exercise routine is necessarily better than a broader type of
exercise, since the goal is to improve general health and fitness, rather than
maximizing performance at single-sport activities. The main fear of siding with
inconsistency rather than the possibility for optimization is that people will
always be looking to change the current norm, as the inherently flexible
program/activity plan will grow less desirable with repetitiveness as the
potential for engagement in meaninglessly varying activities truly exists.