Trying to find the motivation to go to the gym can be very difficult at times, no matter who you are. I for example am a professional bodybuilder but like everyone else there are times when I am just not “feeling” it. Of course knowing that staying motivated is hard at times for everyone does not help. There are also added uncomfortable moments of working out next to whatever stereo type you didn’t want to run into. Maybe it’s working out next to the one who has to slam weights and grunt. Maybe it’s the group of women that act like your presence rivals that of the bubonic plague.
Regardless of your gender, age or level of training there are hindrances that slow and sometimes even stop your progress. This article is an attempt to remind you of your goal and why it so important that you stay motivated to achieve it.
What is a Goal
Goal: The result or achievement toward which effort is directed.
When looking up the answer to the question, “what is a goal” I found this definition from Dictionary.com. A simple, plain and easy to understand definition that does nothing to describe the amount of work and sacrifice that goes into achieving one.
As a personal trainer I work with people all day who are trying to achieve goals. When I have a client achieve a goal it is a huge success moment and they will be motivated to keep going for more. When I have a client not reaching their goal(s) then it’s as if there is an anchor tied to them as they trudge through the gym. It is not easy keeping people motivated to reach their goals when things have them down but there are some things that help.
What Helps You Reach Your Goals
There are 3 different types of goals:
Time goals which are the ones we refer to as short-term or long-term.
An example of a short and long term time goal would be of having a goal to lose 10 pounds in 2 months with a long term goal of 50 pounds in six months.
Focus goals.
A Focus goal is that one big goal you have that is influencing all (or many) of your thoughts and decisions. I hear it all the time with weight lose goals that consume their daily thoughts to reach a weight by a certain date or bodybuilding goals with specific dates for upcoming shows.
Topic-based goals.
Topic based goals are important goals but only in a specific part of your life. They are not the big goal that your whole world is focused on but rather a more balanced goal. For example you want to lose 20 pounds by a certain date and you work towards that goal but only in certain parts of your life.
It is possible and often common to have all 3 types of goals going at the same time and achieve some if not all of them.
Keep it S.M.A.R.T.
Once you establish what your goals are than I would recommend that you apply the S.M.A.R.T. principle.
Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Responsible, Time-bound
Specific: What is the specific goal you’re trying to accomplish? And be specific!
Measurable: How can you measure your success? Think about how you will know when you’ve accomplished the goal.
Actionable: What are the actionable steps (aka objectives) needed to achieve the goal? Break the goal into smaller steps. List every step.
Responsible: Who are the people that must support this goal? If you need the support of your manager, co-workers, friends, or family, make note of it here.
Time-bound: When do you want to achieve the goal?
Which Ways Worked Best For You?
There are many ways to achieve your goal(s) and most likely you have been setting some and achieving some your whole life, so you know which ways worked best for you. However, I would suggest that if you really want to achieve success in reaching your goal(s) and you have struggles to achieve them in the past than do something different this time.
According to research, there are two factors that help people continue to stay motivated to reach their goals; incentive and accountability.
Incentive
Your Incentive is all you, whatever made you desire this particular goal is what you need to hold on to until you achieve it.
Accountability
The accountability part is harder because it requires that you bring someone else into the process. It may not be easy, especially if you are less than comfortable with telling someone about this goal. However, research done by the American Society of Training and Development has shown that those who have others help them stay accountable increase their chances of success by 65%. Even better, those who commit to accountability appointment with a person you have committed to help you then you increase your chance of success by 95%!
Let Others Help
Goals take time, hard work, perseverance and commitment to achieve. And results often do not come as quickly as you hope. You can easily lose the motivation in the process and give up. But everything changes when you leverage an accountability system. To “be accountable,” all you need is a clear goal and a willingness to let others help you achieve it.
Personal trainers are very goal and achievement focused people.
Often times they are the over positive annoying types that you don’t want to run into until you’ve had ample amounts of coffee. However, they are excellent coaches to have in your corner when you want to achieve a goal, they will plan, record, guide and pep talk you all along the way as you achieve your goals.
Accomplishing small goals over time will can lead to big results in the long term.