Happy 2 year Anniversary to Us! It was actually 2 years today that I held my very first boot camp class under my Company, I Luv My Body Fitness. And we have come a long way since then:
- From 7 to 52 clients and growing
- From me doing everything to 2 amazing instructors and an incredible administrative assistant
- From holding 5 classes a week to 16 classes a week
And the list goes on…
I’m not going to lie and say that it has been an easy journey, but it has definitely been rewarding.
Looking back on the past 2 years of our growth and thinking about how I overcame the hard times I have been through as a new business owner sparked today’s blog post regarding motivation.
Most people think of motivation as a feeling you get when you want to do something. That’s what I used to think too. I thought if I did not want to do something (like workout one day), I lacked motivation. But I have recently changed my opinion about this because I learned that being motivated in any area of life is a skill, and not a feeling. To me this is very refreshing because skills can be self taught and refined until they are close to being effortless. Let’s use the example of working out. You do not necessarily have to feel a burning desire to workout to be motivated. The act of getting to your workouts is a skill and you do not lack motivation if you take action, even if you are not in the right mindset some days.
But To help you get in the right mindset and stay there as much as possible, here are 9 Steps That my Most Successful Clients have implemented. You can use these in any area of life, but for our purposes we will talk about working out:
Step 1) First and foremost, you have to know what you want to achieve and write it down. Most health and fitness programs fail because people skip this crucial step. If you have no idea how much weight you want to lose for example, you will eventually become demotivated because you have no target to aim for. Goals should be measurable so you can see if you are moving towards them. Then, if you are not you can alter your program accordingly.
Step 2) The second step is knowing why you want to achieve your goals and write that down as well. When you know the emotional component behind why you want to achieve your goal, you are more likely to remain dedicated to your fitness program for the long term and succeed. For instance if you know you would like to lose weight because you want to have more confidence, energy and vitality to live your life, you will be more likely to get to the gym on a regular basis.
Step 3) Reflect upon your goals and reasons for achieving them daily. Read them out loud. Many people make the mistake of writing out their goals initially, putting them in a drawer and then forgetting all about them. Visualizing what your life would be like if you had already accomplished your goals is extremely powerful because your brain cannot tell the difference between a real and imagined experience. The more you picture your ideal body, the more clear your path will be to get there.
Step 4) Hook up with a professional coach to hold you accountable and help to keep you engaged in your plan. All successful individuals have a coach. Whether it’s to help keep you on track mentally or correct your exercise form so you do not get injured early on in your program. Investing in a coach is invaluable.
Step 5) Plan for anything and everything that could hold you back. Visualize what you will do if you can’t make it to the gym, how you will refuse candy to the office, what to eat when you go out to a restaurant, who you can speak with to keep you on track, etc. Basically think about every time you have failed to achieve your fitness goals in the past and ask yourself why you did not stay on track. Then, plan to overcome the situations that previously held you back.
Step 6) Make sure your plan encompasses the 6 components required for your success – Resistance training, cardio, nutrition, supplementation, injury prevention, and a coach. Without these 6 components, it is tough to see consistent results to keep you motivated.
Step 7) Use your social network. Give yourself a little social pressure through engaging your friends and family in the process. This can make a huge difference your ability to stay motivated. By telling your friends and family what you are doing, you are automatically surrounding yourself with people that can help hold you accountable, especially when your fitness coach is not around.
Step 
If you fall off the wagon, jump back on! Do this as quickly as possible and don’t beat yourself up about it. Most people think that if they skip a work out they have blown their entire fitness plan. This is not true and the sooner you can get yourself back on track, the easier it will be. And remember, it is impossible to be perfect all of the time.
Step 9) Take it slow. I don’t care what late night TV peddlers say. The more pressure you put on yourself to lose weight or get toned fast, the easier it will be for you to injure yourself in the process or become dissatisfied with small results you receive. If you build healthy habits into your life slowly they will be easier for you to maintain.
