
Fitness Motivation main page.
Would you consider it a revelation that your most lethal weapon in the battle of the bulge is your Attitude?
Do you have a clear vision in your head of where you want to be, or what
you want to accomplish when you are at a peak level of fitness? I don't mean
just some vague idea - I'm talking about an actual burning mental image of
a six-pack set of abs, or a nice set of curves, or a clear picture of you
crossing the finish line in first place, or taking home that trophy. If you
don't have that, you are already just spinning your wheels. How can you expect
to get somewhere if you don't know where that "somewhere" is?
Many people start out very motivated to get in shape, or to compete for that
prize, but their motivation lacks focus - laser-targeted precision that will
guide them down the right path. The term "as the crow flies" comes to mind.
If you could leave your house and drive in an exact straight line to your
destination, don't you think that you would get there a lot faster? What if
you could just fly through stop lights and intersections, disregard all posted
speed limits, and go exactly in a straight line to every destination? You
sure would get there a lot faster!
Exercise, physical fitness, and nutrition are no different. If you don't have
a clearly mapped out and measurable road map to your success, then you will
stray, and that will cost you time at the very least - and at the most, it
will cost you precious amounts of self-confidence! Take some time to think
about WHERE you want to be, HOW you are
going to get there, and most importantly, WHY you want to
be there. Take the time to do that, and I think you'll see that your previous
path may have been road blocked by a few too many trips to Starbucks for a
Caramel Frappuccino. Not that anyone writing a fitness article such as this
would know anything about that...
Believing In Your Ability
Okay, so you've got yourself a good mental picture. You have your road map
in front of you, your path is straight and true, and you are ready to get
started. What comes next? Belief.
Do you believe it is possible to wave a magic wand and have all of your excess
bodyfat gone, and all of your fitness goals realized in the blink of an eye?
Of course not. If you do, and you know the secret, please contact us - I'm
sure we could make some money on that secret! For everyone else, I'll ask
a different question. Do you believe that you could sit on your couch, suck
down some ice cream, and put on some more bodyfat? The answer is, unfortunately,
yes.
What is the difference between those two questions? Very simple - one is possible,
and one is not. What does that have to do with your fitness goals? Well, it
may come as a surprise, but you have been dealing in the IMPOSSIBLE
for quite sometime now. You have been striving for a goal, yet not really
believing that it was within your power to reach it.
Oh sure, you may have joined a gym, or bought a new Litmus 3000 Super-Decker
top of the line treadmill/clothes hanger, but did you really believe that
you were going to do it this time? If you are reading this and you are in
perfect physical condition, then congratulations - you did it! For the rest
of you, are you seeing the point? You didn't truly believe it, because otherwise
it would have happened.
Each of us shelters hidden either very deeply or sometimes NOT so deeply a
seed of doubt that we will really succeed. When that seed is there - whether
it is planted deeply or not - your subconscious waters it and feeds it. The
next thing you know, it is has grown into an entire field of self-limiting
beliefs, and you have neither the time nor the desire to get out there in
the field and destroy that evil crop!
What are you to do, then? BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Why? The answer
to that is simple - because you are the only one who truly can. Others may
support you, and they may even show you the path, but it is YOU who has to
walk it.
Taking Action
We have covered the need for you to clearly see your goal, and for you to
use the power of belief to start walking down the path, but what's next?
The next step is the same for you as it is for an aspiring business owner,
or a college freshman, or an artist staring at a blank canvas - you have to
TAKE ACTION. You can read the top 2 sections of this article
all day long, but doing so won't burn off any bodyfat, or pack any muscle
tissue onto your body. Only appropriately carried out action can do that.
Think of all the self-help books that you have read, or programs that you
have watched on TV, or listened to on the radio. Did any of them do you any
good whatsoever if you didn't take action on what you had learned? What about
what you have read so far in this article? Has it been helpful? Most likely.
Will it do you any good if you don't Take Action? Nope. Negative. No way.
Nada. You get the picture.
You can read, listen, and watch your way right into a bodyfat level that would
make a sumo wrestler jealous, or consider your options until your muscles
have diminished so much that you can't even lift a toast to your dearly departed
dreams, but none of that will mean squat if you don't GET UP
and make it happen!
Why are you still sitting here? Get out there and Take Action!
Aaron Potts is the owner and creator of Fitness Destinations, a content-filled health and fitness website for consumers as well as professionals in the fitness industry. Aaron's experience in the health and fitness industry includes one on one personal training in many different environments, maintenance of several health-related websites, and authoring of many fitness articles and fitness-related products for consumers and fitness professionals. www.fitnessdestinations.com