I admit to being guilty - back when I was 16 or 17, I first started working out because I thought it would attract girls. I was the lanky kid, so obviously I thought that my key to success was gaining some muscle mass. Then I grew up and the reasons why I work out changed. Currently I go to the gym and jog because these activities are great stress relievers. I believe that both physical and mental training is necessary to succeed in life. They complement each other. And of course I like being healthy and looking good. Knowing that I'm better than I was a year ago is also a boost to my confidence. Better as I can lift more weight, run farther and, hopefully, I am a little smarter too. And last, but not least, I like to know that thanks to my training, I could defend myself and my girlfriend if I ever had to.
I don't think the overarching reasons for me working out has changed. When I was younger, I worked out to be in shape for soccer and basketball season. Of course, I also wanted to look good for the ladies. Who doesn't right? As I've gotten older, I've maintained a good workout routine so I can be healthier when I get older and can't workout as much as I do now. Taking care of my body now will help my health later in life.
I am motivated by goals. I set a goal achieve that goal then I raise the bar. I used to keep healthy like you and many others - in order to remain attractive - but that is no longer a motivator for me. There is an aerobic activity - a hike - that is truly grueling. I know my fastest time and aim to beat it - that is my motivator. On my bike, I set an annual distance and aim for that goal. I overdid it on that one one year as the goal distance required a commitment of time that took away from my other objectives. I have hit that slippery slope of getting older and am experiencing a few more aches and pains and recognize that I will never again have the body of a twentysomething. That changes my goals and objectives but doesn't tap my motivation.
I am motivated by wanting to look good for my partner and also the need to stay in shape as I am getting older. As I approach 30 I just feel it is time that I start looking after myself better and also exercising daily makes me feel good. At the moment am doing Gillian michaels 6 week abs and I love it. I have finally found a video that's not annoying and that makes a real difference.
I want to look good, feel good and live as long of a life as possible. I used to have a hard time sleeping, I would toss and turn all night and would average very few hours of sleep because by the time I fell asleep I would have to wake up for work in a few hours. Going to the gym helped me get into a great sleep schedule and helps me deal with the stress of my day. I also want to look good and keep my body as fit as possible.
Actually what motivates me to work out is my sister's husband. He used to be one of those people who cared much about how fit they were but the moment he stopped exercising the guy now is so fat that he couldn't run across a football field to save his life. Each time I picture him in my mind and realize that the moment I stopped working out, I'd be like him, even if I didn't feel like exercising on that day, I'd just, to avoid getting that obese, get out and exercise a little.
Amen to that. Years ago, my motivation to get fit might have been so I could look better in my clothes. But now it's mostly because I want to feel better. The older you get, the more difficult it gets to lug those extra pounds around. I want to be healthy and active. Life has a lot of challenges. Being overweight and sluggish just makes facing those challenges so much more difficult.
Being more sexable (its a word google it... dont google it though). Everyone wants to look their best. It's not vanity when it comes to looking your best through improving your health. Health is the highest form of intelligence (says a lot about our world), you should make living a healthy lifestyle a main priority in your life.
I have both my parents as motivation. My father passed away four years ago due to liver problems (too much drinking). While my mother passed away a couple of years ago due to renal failure (a diabetes complication). Although they live up to their late 60's, they were already having health problems in their 50's. I don't want to endure life when I grow old - I want to enjoy it and I believe I can only do so if I'm fit and healthy.
I guess you could say my motivation is music. I hate traditional exercise but going further would be getting tired of sitting in the chair for hours. When I'm finished on the computer for a while, it's good to get up and get your legs moving. My dogs motivate me to walk though I know I need to do more than just walk around the complex.
I agree that sweat soaking physical activities are great stress relievers. It's one of the few reasons that motivate me to hit the gym, jog and engage myself with other sports and self-defense. Another thing also is for me to get fit and healthy, but never to make myself look sexy and attractive. I just want to be healthy and I think doing exercises is a necessary tool for that. Of course, there's a diet part that I would still have to consider, but I don't believe that I just rest it all to that. Last that motivates me is the food, sweet and fattening foods. I like eating them, all the bad foods, that if I don't work out, I would probably have gone wide and big a long time ago.
I always feel better when I work out. My energy level goes up and, as a result, I feel much happier. Other than that - the obvious - I can fit into more clothes. They hang better and my face also is less pudgy.
I agree on all of that True2marie. I had an answer in my head as I was scrolling thru the replies. And that was basically it, you said it. What motivates me as what motivates other things we all do in life. And that's to feel better. Plain and simple. It feels good. It's emotionally satisfying. It's a great feel good thing to do. There is nothing like feeling that burn and know we are burning fat.
I want to be able to freely put on any clothes I like everyday especially when I go out without having to worry if this or that will fit me or not. Another thing is since I'm breastfeeding my baby girl, having less on my body makes everything easier for me when at home. So having my husband around looking at my body shape every minute, of course I always want to look at my best in front of him
What motivates me to work out is 1) sometimes I can feel a bit sluggish and working out can give me a burst of energy and help to calm me down when I'm feeling a bit irritated. 2) Not wanting to be flabby. I don't like feeling like I'm busting out of jeans and working out helps to keep my weight down and to keep me toned and not feeling like a slob.
What originally motivated me to work out was that I was in a place in my life where I felt I didn't have any control of my situation, so I was looking for something to control, and the easiest thing was my body. After starting my routine and getting some stability, the other benefits such as self-esteem and energy boosts (as well as my body not looking too shabby either) motivated me to keep going and keep pushing. Haven't looked back since.
When I was younger I used to have issues with simply being too skinny or thin. I was also short for awhile and I really hated this all together. So it became really important for me to build mass and that wasn't so easy with a fast metabolism. In the future though, I mostly started working out just to keep my mind sharp. I felt that I performed better in virtually every regard when I ate well and exercised.
I was 16 years old when I first notice I was gaining weight in my mid-section. I was always a skinny girl and suddenly I was becoming heavier by the minute. During that summer I worked out like crazy to get my waistline back and I haven't stop working out sense. It was for vanity reasons as a teenager but now I do it because I want to stay in the best shape possible. I love the energy I have and the strength I gain from doing a combination of workouts. It's fun for me to challenge myself physically and live a healthy lifestyle. In my family, people are a little overweight and have health problems. I don't want that to be me.
My motivation is simple: to feel good and live a healthy long. I have a son and possible future babies that I want to stick around and annoy for as long as possible. Exercise and eating right is a definite way to do that. It also gives me an energy boost like nothing else can. My favorite types of exercise are group fitness classes like zumba and pilates. I also love to go on walks with my son. We make a point to walk somewhere every day even if it's just to the mail box.
Well, I think number 1 is for me to be healthy. Life is so much nicer when you don't spend your days criticizing about your weight/body. After exercising, I feel refreshed and healthy. Plus I forget about all the worries that day I had with my body (even though I'm a little underweight, I still do). My parents are also very athletic so I feel I need to continue their footsteps. I feel guilty when I don't exercise one day. I would suggest you just starting walking on the treadmill. Maybe you could watch TV at the same time or listen to music. Walking is better than sitting on your butt the whole day, trust me. After you workout, you feel so much better. I've figured out that everybody likes different workout music.. You could also use Pandora. My favorites are The Killers, Train, B.o.B. I have a lot of random songs on my playlist
