Look - Feel - Perform
Like the Person You Know You're Meant To Be
Workout Motivation?
Finding the motivation to workout- whether it's to get started or to keep going, can be a real challenge.
Working out, by it's very nature, is hard and uncomfortable- Why in the world would we purposefully put ourselves through a time and money consuming discomfort??
Well... It's good for us- right?
Totally.
But is "good for us" enough to actually do it?
In my experience as a personal trainer- Not really.
So let's go on a Fitness Quest together to discover where to find Limitless Motivation!
_______
I have been working out for almost exactly 15 years.
I wish my weight lifting origin story was a little more romantic but it went like this...
- 14 years old I was sitting on the couch browsing Facebook
- I saw a picture I was tagged in
- I was completely alone but the picture embarrassed me to the core
- "I cannot look like that in front of *insert girlfriends name here* this summer." ran through my head
- I slammed the laptop shut, jumped to the ground, and did as many push-ups as I could
- Then I rolled over and did the same thing with sit-ups
And that's how it all started!
Every day for the next couple weeks I went through a similar routine.
Overtime I learned how to do some other exercises and began throwing in pull-ups, tricep extensions, bicep curls, etc.
(No leg exercises though! I mean I had a trampoline- that's good enough right?! Lol)
So I started my weightlifting journey because I didn't like the way I looked- and my looks did admittedly get a little better. (Although working out didn't seem to fix my personality...)
However, after a year or so I realized working out was doing much more than giving me the ability to Pec Pop.
- I started getting better at sports
- I got WAY better at climbing trees
- My trampoline skills increased
And that was totally awesome during my youth but what's more exciting is continuing to be able to do those things confidently 15 years later!
Confidence and Capability
When I started working out to look better, even though I didn't realize it- I was working out to increase my confidence.
To be honest 15 years later there's still the voice in my head expressing how my physique isn't good enough. (It kinda comes with being a personal trainer in today's social media era)
AKA: When it comes to the way I look- I still lack some confidence.
BUTT!
What has truly surprised me about training for 15 years is the confidence I have built in my capability.
When it comes to doing hard things- I'm pretty confident I can get it done. (Or at least give it a try!)
In Mexico last year I had the opportunity to try windsurfing.
Not with an instructor or anything just- Here's the board. Go for it.
I had no right to be as confident as I was, considering I have zero experience- But I wasn't nervous to try since I know what my body can do.
And I got pounded on 😅
Balancing on the board while trying to get the kite up is hard enough, then managing to keep it in place while it catches the wind all while boats are throwing waves at you- I don't know what I was thinking...
But I'm very glad I tried!
And I wouldn't have tried if I wasn't as confident in what I could do.
I would have continued sitting on the beach, enjoying the sunshine for sure, but not really experiencing anything.
And this is the difference between training for physique vs capability.
What Motivates You
Do you want to look better?
Or do you want to live better?
I love the physique benefits of working out but physique benefits don't always = capability benefits.
I know this from experience.
About 7-8 years into my training journey my body didn't feel good.
I looked the best I ever looked and could lift heavy things in the gym!!
But I was in my early twenties and starting to get nervous to do things outside the gym...
Menial tasks became much more challenging and I was starting to fear movement.
My mom had to drive me to the emergency room when I was 20 because while at work, washing dishes, I simply bent over when WHAM!
Excruciating back pain.
I don't need to go into that story- I just want to get the point across that not all training is created equal.
I was training to look better not to live better.
Now I realize that living better is the ultimate training goal!
Looks are great- I won't knock anyone for training to look good 💪🏼
But I want to...
- Be able to try windsurfing when I'm in Mexico even though I've never done it before.
- Go on an all day bike ride through the beautiful landscape of Sao Miguel.
- Hike into the Grand Canyon instead of standing around the perimeter just looking.
That is where my motivation to train comes from.
I want to increase my capability to live life.
How about you??
Fitness Quest: Find Your Motivation
I wish working out "because we should and it's good for us" was enough of a reason to do it.
But until you build the habit- it isn't.
Otherwise my clients would still workout when I'm not available- but they don't as you can see here.
There needs to be a reason strong enough to beat the loss of time, money, and comfort.
And unfortunately that reason will be different for most people 😅
Working out is something I've been doing for more than half my life- so it's kinda just part of me at this point.
BUTT!
My motivation still waxes and wanes from time to time.
If I need some extra motivation I...
- Think of the adventures my wife and I have had and want to go on.
(This creates the more long term motivation to get started)
- Create friendly competition.
(This creates the medium term motivation to train for something hard)
- Imagine my DnD character
(This provides "in the moment" motivation when I don't want to go hard on a specific exercise)
Having these 3 types of motivation gives us the time to turn working out from "something we should do for our health" into "something we just do".
Now I'll ask you again...
What motivates you??
© 2024 Ryan Sandmann - All Rights Reserved
SOCIAL
SOCIAL
© 2024 Ryan Sandmann - All Rights Reserved