3 Radical Methods to Get Motivated for Fitness

September 28, 2007

The number one New Years Resolution is always to loose weight. It never fails that thousands of people across the world make the decision that this year is going to be the year that they finally get into the shape they’ve always wanted to be in. By March, they’ve given it up for a lost cause. Why? Why is it that so many people make the same resolution for change, but can’t seem to see it through? Is it because these people are essentially weaker than those who can see it to completion? Is it that they don’t have the self discipline that it takes to succeed? I doubt it. I think the real culprit here is a lack of true motivation. People say their goal is to get back into their old clothes, but that’s not enough of a reason. Once you’ve made certain that your reason for loosing weight holds more pleasure than the pain of daily effort, you’ll know you’re on your way to lasting changes and you know how much I like those.

I’ve talked before about creating determination and how real determination is the key to personal development, but the determination that it takes to exercise everyday is cultivated differently than any other form. There are many ways that you can do this, but I’m going to offer you a few of the more ?radical? ideas. These strategies might not work for everybody but, if you’re willing to give it a shot, you might just find that the success you’re looking for is right around the corner.

The Negative Self Image Approach

This strategy is a very sticky wicket; it can be used to great success, or incredible disaster, so use it wisely. The idea behind this approach is that you make it impossible for your mind to stay in the body you have created for it. What we want to do is create a mindset that refuses to spend one more day cooped up in the body you’ve made. To do this you have to think (gasp!) negative thoughts!

Now before I get all of the personal development community in an uproar over that advice, let me clarify. I don’t want you to start standing in front of your mirror and telling yourself what a pig you are, that won’t help anything. What I want you to do is to stand in front of your mirror and tell yourself that this body you see before you is not good enough for you. Tell yourself that your thighs are too big or you have too large a gut. This cannot and will not be tolerated! I want you to point out every feature you want to change about yourself and call each feature out in turn to be chastised. Tell each individual feature that its days are numbered and that you will not stand for this body anymore!

Once you’re done telling yourself how unworthy your body is of you, immediately switch to thinking about the changes that are coming to you. The danger of this approach comes when you do not take the time to change your thoughts back into a positive direction. Start thinking about all of the changes that are going to take place. Imagine the results and tell yourself about all of the physical changes you are going to see occurring in the next few weeks.

Think of yourself as the boss and your body as the employee falling down on the job. Tell those employees that what they have done just won’t fly any longer and tell them what kind of changes you want made and that you will not accept anything less. The beauty of this method is that it can create such a burning desire to change. Once you get to the point of absolute disgust, you’ll be begging for the chance to turn it all around. The danger is letting yourself wallow in despair over your self image. If you think you’re strong enough to turn that negative energy into a positive force, go for it. If on the other hand, you’re afraid you’ll just make yourself feel hopeless, I suggest you stay away from this method.

The Exercise Deprivation Approach

This is the approach I used when I started my weight loss journey and I can tell you that it worked like a charm. The trick to this approach is to do nothing that will help you get to where you want to be. You are not allowed to do anything that will help you achieve your goals. I know, first I tell you to think negative thoughts, then I tell you not to work toward you’re goals, but bear with me a minute longer. The reason this approach works is because it gets you really wanting to workout, it creates that ?burning desire? everyone always talks about.

To make this work you have to use a combination of deprivation and visualization. You start off by cutting out all forms of exercise and any attempt you have made at healthy eating. If you’ve started a diet, stop. If you’ve started exercising, quit. Let it all go for two to three weeks. Live your life in whatever form you have been living in, don’t make any attempt at healthiness. For the next two weeks I want you to visualize your workouts every time you look at exercise equipment, or gaze into a mirror. I want you to visualize it before you go to bed. Imagine it in the most vivid details, feel yourself doing it and then imagine the result you want to see. Every time you walk past the refrigerator, think about eating healthily. Imagine that salad, or that lean chicken you’re going to have. Imagine all of the wonderfully delicious and healthy foods you’re not allowed to eat. Just savor them in your mind. Do all of this everyday for two to three weeks.

Now you may be wondering if you have to ban yourself from healthy foods and exercise and the answer is yes! This is a crucial step because it is withholding the desires that you are visualizing. You’re thinking about how desperately you want to workout, but you’re not allowed to. You’re thinking about how wonderful that salad would taste, but dream on, you can’t have it. This deprivation means that at the end of the three week period, you’ll be barking at the end of your chain to get at these things. You won’t have to make yourself workout, you’ll be lucky if you can stop!

I have personally used this and I highly recommend it. It sounds far fetched, I know, but believe me when I say that I now love my workouts in a way I never thought possible before.

The Hip-Deep in Pie Method

Ah, this is my version of the good old ?sink or swim? technique. This is the method by which you throw yourself into the deep end of the pool with no way out but to learn to swim and fast. The trick here is peer pressure, or financial pressure. Whatever kind of pressure you can put on yourself is generally good in this case as this is the best option for people who need a good swift kick up the shorts to get moving.

Some people do this by investing a lot of money in exercise equipment, that way they cannot deny the workouts any longer, now they have to make their investment pay off. Others decide to enter into a marathon that is months down the road. They know the marathon is coming, they’ve told all their friends, now their going to have to go for it, or explain why they didn’t. Most of time, we’d rather just do it than admit that we were too lazy to.

The key here is to tell everyone you know about your goals and about what you’re doing. Invite them to come and watch you at an event like a marathon or a competition. However you do it, make sure you get that positive pressure behind you. Make sure that you tell everyone you know, make sure you make your attempt public. Why? Because once it’s public, you’ll do everything in your power to make sure that you don’t fail publicly. You’ll do everything to make your friends proud of you and that is a great motivator.

Go Use Them

Go give all three of these a try. Like I said, they’re the more radical side of motivation techniques, but sometimes radical is exactly what is called for. Sometimes, unorthodox is just what you need to get you out of a slump and into high gear. Try all of these out and find out which one works for you. When you do find it, let me know, I always like hearing from others who have used these techniques to success.

Posted in Determination, Fitness, Goal Setting, Motivation, P90X, Self Improvement, The Mind