What drives you to pick up a weight, go on a walk or run, get on a bike or take an exercise class? We all have different motivations for working out. Here are some common motivating factors:
- Building strength
- Losing weight
- Burning off steam
- Getting your baseline health numbers under control
- Looking good for the next summer vacation or a wedding in the fall
- Rewarding yourself for completing a certain number of workouts or steps
- Setting a new personal record (such as improved mile time, bench press weight, plank hold, etc.)
Using the above as motivators can help you better your mental and physical health. These motivators, however, are all extrinsic. There is an external factor driving you to workout, most likely requiring you to track metrics. It’s not bad to use external factors as motivators to exercise, but they shouldn’t be your only reason for working out.
Imagine what might happen if an external factor didn’t exist. What happens after the wedding? What happens after a personal record is achieved, health numbers are in control or you hit a certain weight? Solely using external factors as your driving force to exercise can cause you to constantly seek out the next “thing” to help yourself stay motivated. Rather than seeking out the next thing, focusing on aesthetics or trying to hit your numbers, try internalizing your workout routine to stay consistent for the long haul.
Internalizing your workout routine requires you to look inside yourself — to be mindful of your thoughts, emotions, strengths, energy levels and movements. It requires you to be cognizant of what you feel during and after a workout. When you are mindful during workouts, you cause your mind and body to crave more of those thoughts with each subsequent workout.
Here are some examples of how you can internalize your workout:
- Be fully present: Forget about everything you did before your workout and what you have to do after it
- Breathe mindfully: Focus on deep concentrated breathing throughout each repetition
- Connect with your muscles: Notice which muscles are engaged, and be aware of the way that engagement changes as you pick up and put down weight
- Practice gratitude: Thank your body for the hard work it’s completing
- Give yourself positive affirmations: As you work out, tell yourself you are strong and that you CAN do this
- Visualize your success: Envision yourself completing each exercise with precision and confidence
- Take note of how you feel when the workout is over: The more you can remember those post-workout feelings of accomplishment, calmness and clarity, the more likely you are to want to repeat the behavior!
When you make internalizing your workouts the priority for why you exercise, you increase the enjoyment of each session. You also increase your chances of staying consistent with exercise for as long as possible. Forming good intrinsic habits also makes hitting your goals that much more rewarding! Couple the two together, and you’ll find an abundance of fulfillment along your exercise journey.