Staying Motivated

Decide, Commit, Succeed is the Team Beachbody mantra.  It sounds simple enough.  You decided you want to do P90X, Insanity or TurboFire.  You are committed, or at least you say you are going to complete the program.  You succeed by following the program and the nutrition guide.  But what fuels these 3 things?  What gets you off the couch, what makes you put down the potato chips, what makes you press play and workout?  MOTIVATION.  Staying motivated is the key.  Staying motivated is the thing that takes you from ordinary to extraordinary.  It’s what gets you results and what changes your life.

Over the last couple years I have seen some incredible results from those that I coach who have completed P90X.  Success stories like Brian, Ted, Keith, Devlin, and many others.  What made them different?  Their motivation to keep to the program and to keep pressing play.  They are prime examples of those who stay motivated for the full 90 days completely change their lives forever.  There is also another trend that I see in those I coach…the dreaded 3-4 week curse.  People start a home fitness program like P90X and are super pumped because they want to change their health and fitness.  As they go through the first couple weeks they start to realize that change is not easy.  It takes hard work, dedication and consistency.  It takes “good old American hard work”.  Soon they start to make excuses, start to skip workouts, and start to give into the temptation of their old habits.  They start listening to their spouses, significant others or friends that tell them it’s ridiculous to order a water at the bar, or stupid to not have the burger, pizza or fried food.  Soon one cheat meal turns into 2 or 3 that week.  One skipped workout turns into 3 in a row.  Then they quit.

Does this sound familiar to you?  It does to me.  I was there.  I struggled when I started changing my lifestyle to become healthy and fit.  We all do.  If you feel like it’s difficult to workout that day, or to eat healthy then you’re not alone.  The difference for me is that I stayed motivated.  I was absolutely sick of living a unhealthy and sluggish lifestyle.  I was fed up with feeling tired all the time.  I was over looking at myself in the mirror and knowing that I wasn’t living up to my potential.  Enter motivation.  I took 1 day at a time.  Not looking to far ahead and not living in the past.  Just living today.  I couldn’t control what was in the past nor could I control what tomorrow would bring.  All I could do was make a decision today to be better than I was yesterday…to decide to press play today, to decide to eat healthy.  As the days past, my decision to change my life lead to commitment.  My commitment lead to day 30, day 60 and day 90.  My commitment lead to success.

So what can you do to Stay Motivated? Here are some things that may help.

1.  Write down your “why“.  Your “why” is your motivation.  It’s the essence of why you are doing a home fitness program like P90X.  It’s the reason you are pressing play today, tomorrow and the next day.  Your “why” is the most important tool in your motivation arsenal.  It has to be something that gives you an emotion when you say it out load.  It has to make you dig down and want to “bring it”.  Take a piece of paper and write down why you are changing your health and fitness lifestyle.  Make sure it’s more than just “to look good” or to “get a six pack”.  For you ladies out there, it has to be more than just “to get fit for my wedding”.  This is a lifestyle change.  As a lifestyle change you are ready for what ever life brings…events,weddings,vacation, reunion, etc.

2.  Set concrete, obtainable goals. I wrote down 30, 60 and 90 day goals for myself.  It can be as simple as “to do 5 pull ups”.  Or “to lose 10 lbs”.  Make them something that is measurable.  Maybe it’s to fit into those old jeans, or lower your blood pressure down.  Set those goals!

3.  Get a Coach! A thing that helped me tremendously was having someone to look up to.  I had a coach.  My coach, Josh, helped me to stay motivated by giving me encouragement and answering  my exercise and nutrition questions.  I became a coach to help others so I could pay it forward.  You can sign up with me, my fiance or find a coach that suits you best.  We are all different, so find a coach that you can relate to, motivates you and you can trust to give you good advise.  Having someone to guide you is crucial.

4.  Enter a Transformation Contest. Beachbody, has a transformation contest happening right now.  The grand prize is $100,000.  If that doesn’t motivate you then I don’t know what will.  Sign up to become a part of the Beachbody Challenge and submit your before/after pics.  This is a great opportunity to get recognized for all of your hard work.  Find more info HERE

5.  Get a fitness partner or find one Online.  Having support from those around you is huge.  If you don’t have that support, then find the support online.  I have a private fitness group on facebook that is full of people who are all looking to become healthier and more fit.  This community of people are constantly helping to motivate and support each other through their struggles and triumphs.  It’s an unbelievable tool.  Join my team and then find the group HERE.

6.  Sign up for a Fitness event. This could be a run, an obstacle course, or even an adventure vacation.  I signed up for a 10k that I wanted to get ready for this year to help with my motivation.  5k, 10k, 1/2 marathons are great motivators.  Spartan Runs, Tough Mudders, or Mud Runs are all extremely fun and a great way to help keep you motivated to workout.

I have continued with P90X and other Beachbody programs for over 2 1/2 years now, because I have kept my motivation.  It is now a lifestyle for me.  I do it for mental clarity as much as I do it for the physical performance now.  It is something that I can’t live without.  But I wasn’t always this motivated.  I had my struggles with junk food and inactivity just like some of you reading this.  It took me 6 months contemplating whether or not I should do P90X before I started.  The only difference between me and others that haven’t made the change YET, is that I have had a “why” that kept me motivated to keep pressing play and to keep eating well.  Eating healthy and exercising is only going to make your life better.  It will never make it worse.  Stop the excuses and make the change TODAY.  Don’t give in.  Don’t give up.  Don’t quite.

Decide.  Commit.  Succeed.  Bring it!

Do you struggle with Motivation?  What helps to Motivate you?

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