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How to Stay Motivated
sense of pride and accomplishment when you achieve goals you have
set for yourself, and nothing is more motivating than success.
6. Keep a Progress Chart. A daily log, like the one included at the end
of this manual, helps you monitor your progress objectively. Subjective
comments about how you feel during and after your workouts can keep
you aware of subtle changes as you improve, and this is a good way for
you to catch yourself in a slump.
Maintaining consistent exercise habits is a big challenge. Adherence to
a training program results in tremendous rewards. Once you begin to
notice how much better you look and feel) you will wonder how you ever
got along without a regular exercise program. You will look forward to
your next workout.
The physiological and psychological benefits are not immediately
apparent. Sometimes it is hard to stay motivated until you begin to see'
results. The following tips are a few of the more popular and effective
strategies used by successful athletes, coaches, and sports
physiologists to maintain a high degree of motivation.
1. Be Responsible. When it comes to the bottom line, you make the
decision whether to exercise or watch TV, whether to refuse that extra
pastry or to indulge. While the pressures of daily life often seem to force
you into putting off exercise, remind yourself that it's your health that's
at stake.
2. Be Disciplined. Discipline is the day-to-day ability to make the
health-conscious decision every time you have a choice.
A
routine time
and place for exercise is a simple first step. You may even consider
writing down your exercise session in a daily appointment book, as if it
were a business appointment. This will ensure that other activities will
not interfere.
3. Rehearse Mentally. Visualize the actions of exercising, and create
a mental picture of yourself in peak physical condition, enjoying the
benefits of vibrant physical health. Many athletes and performers
actually rehearse their skills with mental pictures prior to taking the field
or walking onstage. It prepares them for the activity by eliminating
apprehension and makes the activity more exciting, and even more
enjoyable.
4.
Gain
Fitness Knowledge. The press and broadcast media are
constantly full of new diets, exercise plans, product descriptions and
testimonials about state-of-the-art health programs. There is so much
to learn, and so many people and companies are making claims for their
own particular offerings, that you must become a shrewd student of
fitness to determine what works best for you. Reading authoritative
periodicals by expert authors, attending seminars and trade shows, and
evaluating each new product and system you encounter will help.
5. Be Realistic. The degree of endurance, strength and body tone you
can achieve is always determined by your genetic potential, fitness
program, and environment. You should not compare yourself just to top
athletes or celebrities. You should judge real development by
improvement from where you started. The Fit Test program is an
excellent tool to demonstrate this improvement. You will develop a