Motivation can be defined as the desire to achieve, the fuel that inspires us to reach our goals. It has been said that motivation strengthens the ambition, increases initiative and guides our energy. Motivation is one of the most important keys in fitness success. I say this, due to the fact that I usually train athletes who are highly motivated.  It is easier for a professional or even amateur athlete to stay motivated to train because their living or their ability to win in competition depends upon it.

When it comes to training the average person, we often find that people are not as motivated, so they often fall short of what they really want to accomplish.  This does not mean that they won’t work as hard; it’s just that they might not know how to visualize the necessary keys to stay motivated longer. Normally, the design of a successful fitness-training program should always begin with the end in mind. And so, the first thing you should do to is set your goals, because these can be very motivating. In setting those goals, be specific, it’s always helpful to concentrate on your weak areas physically, so that as you work out you will see results.  There is nothing like results to improve motivation! After that it comes down to being consistent in your workouts.

But what if you have trouble staying consistent?   Usually, this happens due to being overcommitted in your schedule or sometimes, it goes back to motivation.  One of the biggest things that motivates is knowledge and working together with the LaValle Metabolic Institute and its staff has consistently reminded me that vast amount of knowledge shared by colleagues to enhance each individuals unique needs is an important tool to keep you motivated to achieve your exercise goals. If you are reminded in your daily life that what you do now is going to heavily influence whether you succumb to chronic illness down the road, it keeps you better motivated to stay consistent with your exercise.

One of the great benefits of exercise is its role in helping to reduce stress hormones. When you exercise it literally reduces the body’s norepinephrine, epinephrine and cortisol.  This is probably part of the reason that exercise is consistently shown to reduce risk of heart disease and other chronic disease like breast cancer.,  Deal with the stress hormones and you take away the negative impact they can have on your arteries, blood pressure and immunity.

For those that are intimidated by vigorous exercise or workouts, you should know that one of the best exercises that has been shown to reduce stress hormones is yoga.,  Yoga has even been shown to aid weight loss when no other diet or lifestyle changes were made.

Hirose K, Hamajima N, Takezaki T, Miura S, Tajima K. Physical exercise reduces risk of breast cancer in Japanese women. Cancer Sci. 2003;94(2):193-9.

If you haven’t been watching the 2011 Crossfit Games, you have to start. Last night  I was glued to the TV for an hour and half, as I pedaled my ass through my late night workout. I love the simplicity of the movements and the total time of work. Great motivation.

Pandora has announced twelve new workout stations, aimed at people who want something to listen to while exercising. Here are the stations and some of the artists who feature on them:

• 80′s Cardio – Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Journey.
• Alternative Endurance Training – Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rise Against, Sublime.
• Classic Rock Power Workout- AC/DC, Aerosmith, Queen.
• Country Fitness – Keith Urban, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean.
• Dance Cardio – Deadmau5, Tiesto, David Guetta.
• Electronic Cardio – Daft Punk, Skrillex, Diplo.
• Hard Rock Strength Training – Linkin Park, Three Days Grace, Disturbed.
• Pop and Hip Hop Power Workout – Ke$ha, Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce.
• Pop Fitness – Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Train.
• Rap Strength Training – Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Eminem.
• Yoga – Deep Forest, Deepak Chakra, Brian Eno.
• Yoga Workout – Cheb I Sabbah, LTJ Bukem, J-Boogie’s Dubtronic Science.

After adding a genre station, listeners can personalize and refine it by providing thumbs-up and thumbs-down feedback for each song depending on whether they want to hear it more often or never want to hear it again. The vice president of corporate communications at Pandora, Deborah Roth, said:

People have been asking for stations designed specifically to get their blood pumping during workouts. We created twelve great stations from various starting points across the music universe, everything from 80′s to country to hard rock, all geared toward giving people energizing music to listen to while they’re exercising.

via PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/2011/09/music-motivation-pandora-adds-new-workout-stations.html#ixzz1XTQOUuQL

Written by Adam Rankin

1. Give Thanks – A simple yet powerful strategy for instantly changing mindset, being thankful for all the great things you have in life will get you on the path to healthier mindset.  A simple method to use on a daily basis is to put pictures of everything in life you are thankful for, and post them on a corkboard, or any other spot that will be seen multiple times during a day. The pictures will immediately change your state of mind for the better.

2. Be an optimist – In a recent report by The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Michael Scheier, a psychologist at Carnegie-Melon University wrote that “optimists tend to respond to disappointments like being turned for a job by formulating a plan of action and asking others for help and advice”. He went on to state that, “pessimists more often react by trying to forget the whole thing or assuming nothing can be done”. Being positive even in the light of failure is no doubt a tough mental status to take on, but is a sure way to see things turn in your favor.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/03/science/research-affirms-power-of-positive-thinking.html

3. See the good in others and yourself – More often than not, negative interactions with others, miscommunication and misunderstanding produces a negative hormonal environment in the body we call stress. This can also happen internally when we place high amounts of pressure on ourselves whether it is with family or work related issues. Take a timeout when you feel like stress is taking over, and allow yourself to see the good in other people and yourself. Write out the positive qualities in your family members, co-workers and yourself and place them in a spot that can be read numerous times throughout the day.

“ This is an age for hereos. The test of the century is whether we mistake the growth of wealth and power for the growth of strength and character. We’ve weakend discipline and respect for authority and let freedom of the individual predominate. It is imperative for a leader to realize that he does exist in the abstract. He is judged on what he does in a specific situation, and upon what others do to obtain the results that he seeks.”

“It is the obligation of people who are in authority… people with leadership ability… to see that we are awakened once more to the need to develop a strong interest in competitive spirit. These who are in authority fail in that pursuit unless they preserve what has been an American goal… to win and to be first in whatever we do. It takes mental toughness, Spartanism, love, loyalty, teamwork, respect for dignity of the individual and charity along with humility.”

” We also need followers who will  accept authority. In our search for individual freedom, in struggling to liberate ourselves from ancient creeds, we sometimes have idealized freedom against order. It has been the new against the old, and by reducing authority, we have lost discipline. Thus the freedom… too much freedom… has had an adverse effect.

Are there times when you doubt yourself and your abilities? Have you missed out on opportunities because you felt you were not talented enough, lacked education or felt unattractive?

Time and time again, I coach people who have lots of talent and wonderful ability, yet for various reasons they are filled with self-doubt. They give up on their dreams, settle for less and become stuck in a rut due to lack of self-confidence. It is no wonder that those who lack self-confidence are less adventurous, get less out of life and always underachieve.

Having self-confidence is crucial to living a fulfilling life. It influences your success at work, your relationships with others and your performance in everything you do. Confident people have faith in themselves and their abilities and they believe that that they can have the best in life.

The good news is that confidence is a skill, it can be learned, and just like driving a car, it can become a habit. As you know, we don’t even have to think about our habits as they are part of us.

Apply the following 5 steps to greater self-confidence and you’ll soon notice positive changes:

Step 1 – Decide to Become Self-Confident
Write out the answer to the following two questions:

- What would your life be like if you were confident?
- What would self-confidence mean to you?

Based on your answer make a decision today to invest your time, effort and money in becoming self-confident. Read books about self-confidence, listen to confidence building audios, attend confidence building workshops and consult with a coach who specialises in confidence coaching.

Step 2 -Become More Self-Aware
Learn to develop an awareness of your unique individuality. When you know and understand yourself at a deeper level, you will have greater control over your thoughts, feelings and attitudes which in turn will help you build greater self-confidence.

Step 3 -Act with Confidence
If you want to feel confident; act with confidence. When you think confidently, walk confidently and talk confidently, it will easily and effortlessly become natural for you to be confident.

Step 4 -Use your Imagination
When you use your imagination to visualise yourself being confident, you are impressing very powerful images onto your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind stores images and the more you visualise yourself being confident the more it becomes part of our life. Whenever your subconscious mind accepts an idea, it immediately begins to execute it.

Step 5 – Belief in Yourself
It is not your actual abilities that determine what you can achieve but your belief in them. It is essential that you let go of limiting beliefs that hinder your progress and develop empowering ones that assist your development. Often we are like the fish that does not even realise it is in water. When you work with a coach you will identify and eliminate those limiting beliefs that hinder your progress.

In order to achieve what you want in life, you must develop your self-confidence. Begin today to create a new and confident you, that uses and values your talents and creates the life you want. Break free from self-doubt and learn to trust in yourself and your abilities. With greater self-confidence, you will feel inner strength, greater happiness and much more fulfilled. Begin today to sow the seeds of confidence and you will be amazed with the results and positive effects that ripple through all areas of your life.