After talking to a few personal trainer friends of mine about who starts and completes their workout plans, I noticed a few common threads in the conversation. Men – well, most guys anyway, have little or no trouble starting and continuing with a workout routine. Their biggest problem is they seem to “know it all” and are the worst for going to the gym but not performing the exercises correctly or sticking with the set plan. (Please remember this is all reported news from several trainers that spend most of their time in gyms, so don’t be too hard on me!) Men, it seems, like to get through the workout as fast as they can, sacrificing form and even cutting the sets short. Apparently, a lot of  ’posing’ goes on in front of the mirrors. However, they are consistent and usually complete their memberships and often sign on again.

The ladies however…tsk, tsk..tsk…so it’s reported, have a difficult time getting started. And when they do finally get around to it, they don’t finish what they set out to do. On the plus side however, my trainer friends were happy to inform me that the women that do start, work harder, stick with the routines set out for them and follow correct form to the best of their ability, much better than men. Yeaaa ladies!

How to get started

So girls – here’s a few tips to help get you motivated, get you off your butt, get you going, and hopefully help you complete what you set out to do.

Willpower – and you have to understand this; Relying just on willpower WILL NOT WORK! Willpower may get you through short term goals,which in itself is a good thing but you need to make a plan for long term success…and that requires  goal setting and discipline.

Goal setting. Each day your motivation levels will change but if you have a system of goals in place, written down somewhere you see them regularly ( bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, computer screen – not on your car’s steering wheel however ) you will be more likely to commit to completing those goals.

Focus. Staying focused is hugely important. However, some days you just don’t feel like exercising or eating that healthy snack. Guess what? You’re not alone so don’t beat yourself up over it. Have “your” day, get it over with and move on.

Diets. Notice the first three letters? Right. Say goodbye to diets and create a meal-plan that works for you. Base it on your tastes, and your goals. Get help on this one if necessary. Remember that another person’s food plan may not work for you. It has to be adapted for you and you alone.

Putting it all together

Goal setting.

Set short term ( daily) , midterm ( weekly) , and longterm goals which can be monthly or many months.

Making one huge goal, say losing 25 kilos, without any planning is just a plan for failure. Losing the 25 kilos is a fantastic achievement but you nee to break it down into daily, weekly and even monthly goals….and WRITE them down. That way you actually make yourself accountable to yourself. Checking at the end of the day to see what you’ve accomplished is a little victory and those little victories will spur you on to continue with the plan. The same can be said for the weekly and monthly goals.

Breaking things down.

Go easy on yourself. Big tasks are daunting so break it down into smaller and more manageable tasks. Besides not having too much to handle you get a better view of what may cause you trouble or what you can adapt to easily. That way you know what needs the most work and what you are doing right.

Visualization.

You may not see the results immediately and that throws some people off. Try visualizing the end results. Imagine what you will look like when you lose that weight or tone that tummy. I knew one lady that actually put out clothes she wore before and she worked toward getting back into them. She could “see” how beautiful she looked in those clothes again.

Direct your anger.

Not being what you want is often frustrating and that makes people mad at time. Direct that energy into part of your plan. It’s a fantastic motivator. You all heard the quote, “ I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”. So – don’t take it. Use the anger as the catalyst to fire you into action. “Oh yeah!  A few calories! I’ll show you who’s in charge!” Harness that power and go get ‘em.

So if you have something you need accomplished, be it losing weight, toning your body, or learning a new skill, following these basic steps should help you get started and most importantly, complete what you set out to do.

OK girls – get out there and get it going on!

Take care – stay well … and smile

Coach Doug

Tagged with: • • • •

Filed under: Workouts

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!