Motivation

What can be more motivating than better overall physical and mental health, higher probability at finding a partner, a better sex-life, increased confidence in your appearance, being a pillar of inspiration for others, and perhaps most important of all, living a longer and healthier life for our loved ones. Sometimes these factors are so ubiquitous that we fail to remember how alluring and how worth it it is.

Myself and others in the industry like to remind people how amazed they would be at where they could be if they dedicated 6 months of their lives to the gym and healthy eating - what a difference they could make in their own lives.

Below we discuss motivational strategies you can take today as well as some goal setting for the future.

Online and Technological Motivation

The use of the internet and technology can either be a huge draw of inspiration and motivation. When it comes to any substantive problem however, I don’t subscribe to the notion that there are straight-forward solutions. What I do believe is that the solutions you seek should be found through developing systems. Solutions can fail however, systems can be adjusted. In the case of motivation, it’s all about what we expose ourselves to every day.

The first question you should ask is, what tools do we have to work with. The vast majority of us have smart phones and/or computers with access to the internet (see where I’m going with this). It’s time you put these powerful devises to their proper use.

What you can do today

Listed below are actions you can take today using your mobile devices alone!

1. Set reminders on your phone.
   In the case of the iPhone, set a daily reminder to go to the gym at a certain feasible hour. A time during the day that makes sense. If you set the notification for hours while you work, you’re far more likely to brush it off and view the notification as an annoying pop-up that is getting in the way of your productivity - so set it for after or before work.

2. Use the internet more effectively.
   Being a boomer is not an excuse. YouTube is a domain in particular with a vast library of motivational and educational content, completely free. Looking for the "get off your ass” brand of David Goggins motivation? Or information heavy bodybuilding content by the late, great, John Meadows. How about the highly original, greatly entertaining content by Jujimufu?

   
   The key here is to subscribe to their channels and turn on alerts. Without even watching the videos, simply receiving alerts that so-and-so has a new video will further immerse you in the world you are looking to excel in. Immersion is key to longevity, so immerse yourselves!

3. Seek depth of knowledge.
   If your goal is to loose a bunch of weight or put on a bunch of muscle, and you struggle to maintain motivation, consider becoming a student of the process. I consider pursuing subject matter expertise to be a diversification of your motivational assets. Really not up for that run today? Watch the best runners in the world have a podcast on mentality and their training routines. Get a subscription to a top-notch fitness journal, and dig into some cool studies. If your foot is acting up one day, digging into the science behind fitness is another avenue to keep you in the game.

4. Make fitness friends.
   Cross-fit may have the stigma of developing a cult-like reputation, but hey, at least in cults everyone shows up and believe in the cause! All joking aside, seeking out relationships with others who are enthusiastic about the process is contagious and we all know that. Talk to any enthusiast who can articulate their enthusiasm well and try not to be motivated. For me, it’s whenever Quentin Tarantino talks about movies. I’m no movie buff, but his love of cinema it totally contagious and now I’m watching Kung-Fu movies from the 60’s.
   
   You can find this in-person or online in droves. You local gym most likely has classes or seek out an online option. Just make sure to do your research, there is plenty out there (shameless self-plug join Gaintrust).

Other Strategies

Refocusing your efforts towards longevity.
Yes, results are nice and results quickly are even nicer. But the process is not linear, it’s frankly not even sinusoidal. It’s all over the place BUT, as long as you’re dedicated, the trend is positive. While this may not be “motivational”, it is decompressing. A huge motivation killer is disappointment in results. While this does not mean, throw all to the wind and blindly trust the process, it does mean that on some level, you need to release on the pressure valves a bit before getting back into the right mindset.

Factors that lead to longevity in one’s diet.
Strict dieting can play a very big role derailing longevity and could lead to falling off entirely. I am defining strict dieting as counting every calorie, “eating clean”, not enjoying your meals, and not taking breaks from the diet. Inevitably people do fail their diets, but it is those individuals who do not plan their “breaks” or refeeds as we call them, who tend to fall off the hardest and rebound in more dramatic fashion. Taking on a more flexible diet could mean taking a slightly longer route, but it does mean you get to enjoy meals more often and planning for those meals out with friends where you order the burger.

If our goal is longevity, research has shown that the strict dieting approach has lead to more frequently occurring rebounding diets far more often than a flexible ones.

Simply remember the benefits.

I started this piece going over the most ubiquitous motivational factors for getting and staying in shape. It’s good to remind ourselves that we want better overall physical and mental health, that we want a higher probability at finding a partner and a better sex-life, that we want more confidence confidence in our appearance, and that we want to live long and healthy lives. It important that we do not let this overwhelm us, but imbue us with purpose and drive. As I’ve stated already, you’d be amazed at where you can be if you dedicate 6 months to the gym and ate more responsibly.