Motivation

"You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it." 

-Maya Angelou

"I wish I had your motivation." "Can you give me some of your motivation?" If I had a nickel for every time someone has said these to me...  well you know. 

Motivation is something most people struggle with.  I know I have in the past.  The solution? Well, there is no one solution that works for everyone.  We each have our own reasons for wanting to get into shape, lose weight, etc. Maybe you want to fit into a bikini for your beach trip, finally get back in that old pair of jeans, simply feel better about how you see yourself in the mirror.  Deciding why you want to do it is the first step,  but sometimes pinpointing the end result you are looking for just isn't enough to motivate you to do the work necessary to get there.  

So what do you do?  Well, for me, signing up for a challenge was the trick.  

Last spring, one of my "Team Bob" workout buddies had the idea that we should compete in a Warrior Dash.  For those who aren't familiar with the event, Warrior Dash is a 5K race through a muddy terrain with approximately 15 obstacles spread throughout the course.  We all jumped at the idea, but in the back of my mind I was terrified.  I had never run a 5K, let alone a 5K that required me to do things such as jump over fire!  I am not one to back down, so I logged onto the website and registered.  Tip: Once you pay the money you are much less likely to back out of something.  This was the fuel I needed to finally get down to business.  I wasn't going to embarrass myself in front of thousands of people.  I have too much pride for that.  I had about 5 months to get myself "warrior ready", so I got even more serious with the weights and I started running for the first time. Ever.  

In October of last year, the four of us completed our first Warrior Dash (with no injuries sustained!).  The sense of accomplishment was such an amazing feeling.  So much so, that we were ready to do it all over again! I completed my first 10K last weekend, am competing in another Warrior Dash in less than a month, and will tackle my first Spartan Race this fall!  

While events such as these may not be possible for you, or even interest you, there are many other means of motivation.  Sometimes it just takes a little soul searching to find what sparks yours. 

In the words of the Les Mills trainers "Stay with the Fight!"

XOXO