Motivation and Exercise

I was taking a hike the other day with my wife Julie and we got to talking about motivation.  I am motivated, I like to workout and have for a long time.  My first thought was - "maybe I am not a good person to write about this."  But the more I thought about it, I do have to work at insuring that my workouts are productive.  I do have a fair number of tricks that help me.  So maybe many of us are actually the same, just to varying degrees.

I plan to exercise every day, seven days a week. My routine is not to think about if I will exercise, but rather what kind of exercise do I plan to do and when I will fit it in.  I put it in my calendar just like a meeting and move it if something comes up.  I know that I will miss one and once in a while two days and am ok with that.  There are just some days when it doesn't work.  But by planning to exercise 7 days, I always get in at least 5.  I think that if I were to plan for 5, I would end up with less.

Here are my thoughts on staying motivated.

1. Train for something.  This makes working out more focused, creates a bit of urgency and as a result reduces the likelihood that you will miss.
2. Keep it simple.  I know people who plan out their workouts in a fair amount of detail, but not very many of them.  When I see someone start off this way, I don't see them stick with it.  I don't plan every workout, but do plan some measurable steps along the way.  In this case, longer and longer hikes every other week.  That keeps me on track without making it another job.
3. Schedule your exercise!  I talked about this above.  Make it just like anything else that you do, put it into your schedule.  Treat it like it is important. If something comes up, move it to another time.
4. Find a way to make it fun.  Exercise with a friend.  Mix up the kind of exercise you do.  Play while you are exercising.  I like to skip down hills, sometimes go backwards or jump from rock to rock (yea, when no-one is looking...). Listen to a book, music or a podcast.  Whatever keeps it fun for you.
5. Take breaks.  Even world class athletes like Michael Phelps take some time off.  He needs a break after training for the Olympics. It keeps him fresh.  You can do the same. It is also a good way to keep your body healthy.

Hope there was something useful in all of this for you.