Getting Motivated - Mentally, Physically & Chemically

Getting and staying motivated - it sure ain't easy!  I'm pretty confident every one of us can vouch for that no matter what aspects of our lives we're talking about.  The problem is, this is one of the key components to success (there's another secret component we'll talke about in a future post!).  So how do you get motivated?  I've tried to simplify it for you and break it down into three specific elements:  Mental, Physical and Chemical.

Mental Motivation
This is ironically, the easiest and at the same time, most difficult of the three.  How can that be?  First, mental motivation requires nothing more than the changing of a thought.  When you step back from it for a minute and thoughtfully reflect on it, that's truly what it comes down to.  It's a simple 'Yes' or 'No'. 

"I'm going to do this."
"I'm not going to do this."

There's no physical effort involved and the energy expended to make one thought or the other is absolutely negligible.  Easy, isn't it?  Not so fast...

Why is it so hard then?  We all have a million excuses:  a long day at work.  I'm not feeling well.  I'm tired.  I've got other things to do.  I hurt.  I can't do it.  Etc. 
Essentially, these excuses are born from the priority you give to the task at hand.  In this case, the priority you give to creating a 'better than average you'.  How important is it to you?  Only you can tell.  The more important it is, the easier it will be to overcome the objections your mind gives you.  The easier it will be to say:  "I'm going to do this!"

One specific way that I've personally found that helps to get and keep me motivated mentally (this isn't necessarily something I consciously do) is the fact that I get angry.  I get angry that I've let myself slip and gain weight.  I get angry that I stupidly ate a bunch of terrible food that I thought would make me feel better because I had a bad day.  I get angry because I know that it's delaying the positive results I want.  I get angry because I know I'm better than that.  I read years ago (and I believe this whole-heartedly) that before you can successfully make a transformation, you need to get pissed off.  Once you're angry enough about your current physical state, you make it a priority to do something about it!

Once you ratchet up the priority level and overcome most (if not all) of the excuses you've created you'll find it becomes easier and easier.  All of a sudden, one day it begins to become a habit for you.  You feel awkward not making time for your workout.  Then, you begin seeing meaningful results week to week.  You have to keep it up then because you become so motivated by what you're seeing you don't want to stop improving!  Your confidence builds, you know what you're doing is correct, you're becoming a master of your own body and you control the creation of a new you.

Physical Motivation
Physical motivation has two elements to it from my perspective:  1)  results based, and 2)  dietary based.  As mentioned above, as you begin to see the results from your body transforming those physical changes tend to keep you motivated to continue doing more and more.  We're not so different from Pavlov's Dog in that respect:  we get positive results, we continue to do what got us those results!

The dietary based component requires a little effort but it's worth it.  Our bodies function best when provided with the proper foods and/or nutrients required to produce energy.  We're all aware that some foods are better than others in general, but some foods are also better at providing the energy we need better than others.  If you want to insure you have the necessary energy and physical motivation for each and every one of your workouts, take time to plan a simple meal about 1.5 to 2 hours prior to your workout.  The meal should consist of a some protein (approx. 15 grams or 60 calories) and some good, complex carbohydrates (20-30 grams or 80-120 calories).  This is a small, easily digestable meal or meal replacement (supplement) that will help give you the energy you need to not only help get through your workout, but have you feel good while doing it.  I can tell you, I'm guilty of eating a couple servings of some high calorie, full fat ice cream an hour or so before working out (I felt guilty and forced myself to workout!) and felt absolutely terrible!  I don't recommend it.

What would one of these small meals look like?

Examples:
Protein:  4oz chicken breast
Carbs:  1/2 cup brown rice

Protein: 1 scoop whey protein powder
Carbs: 1/2 cup rolled oats

Super quick and easy:
1 Cytosport Muscle Milk bar (25g protein, 28g carbs - and super tasty!)




There's still no need in the very begining to go out and make drastic changes to your diet right away.  If you are having difficulty getting through your workouts and/or feeling good while doing them, give one of these meals a shot and see how it helps you.

Chemical Motivation
I mentioned in a previous post how I'm a big proponent of caffeine.  I have found this to be an excellent chemical motivator for me.  On those days when I just don't feel like doing anything, a nice solid shot of caffeine usually does the trick to get me going!  Now, please bear in mind that everybody's different and we all react differently to things.  KNOW AND UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR BODY REACTS TO CAFFEINE BEFORE TRYING ANYTHING LISTED HERE.  Please refer back to the Disclaimer as well for a reminder about personal responsibility.

I've tried all levels of dosing with caffeine.  From small amounts that you'd find in a can of diet soda to hundreds of milligrams at a time where my nose was running and my mind was racing.  This may sound funny, but it's not something to play around with.  There have been days where I know I took in too much caffeine and felt absolutely terrible.  It felt like my nervous system was just completely taxed.  It's not a good feeling and I would recommend always staying below any dosage that may bring you close to this level. 

Due to my job, I stick to a pretty regular dosage schedule with caffeine.  It looks much like this:

8:30am - 69mg
1:00pm - 39mg
3:30pm - 69mg (this is sporadic - maybe 3 times per week)
6:15pm - 39mg
7:30pm - 150mg (on some workout days only.  It's hard to get to sleep on these nights...)

Total = 366mg

Total for average non-workout day = 147mg

The average, non-workout days works out to about 3 strong cups of coffee or 3 to 4 diet sodas.  I find I don't need as much (meaning I'll have less than 147mg/day) when I'm sleeping approximately 7+ hours per night and I'm eating very clean, wholesome foods. 

On occassion, I will find that I have days where my total approaches 600mg's or more.  For my body, that's the upper limit I can handle and still feel OK but I can't do it day after day.  Once I reach the 800mg - 1,200mg level in a single day, that's when I begin to feel terrible.  Around 5pm - 7pm I'm absolutely wiped out and feel nauseous - again, I don't recommend it! 

With so many 'energy' drinks out on the market now with anywhere from 150mg - 300mg per can(!) it's easy to overdo it.  If you decide to give caffeine a shot to help boost your motivation to workout, start out very slow.  Assess how your body reacts and over time find a level that suits your body best.  There is a whole market of excellent nutritional supplements out there that are driven by their caffeine content.  We'll begin to explore these more in the future as our workouts move along and see how we can benefit from them. 

For now;
-  Work on gaining that mental control needed to say "I CAN do this!"
-  Nourish your body with proper nutrition prior to your workout to make them easier
-  Determine if caffeine is right for you and if proper dosing can help you get your workout going

Keep it up - you CAN do this! Sphere: Related Content