Here, there is some magic sparkling dust that you can sprinkle all over yourself and instantly feel energized and eager to get up and work it, work it like there is no tomorrow. Or, here is a magic pill that gives you an itch until you go and work it off running here and there like the Energizer bunny. And if these two didn’t work you’ll have go for the last resort-solution… grow a pair and cultivate a back-bone of some sort.
Do it, not because someone on the internet told you that you should, but because it’s the right thing to do, the healthy thing to do. Motivation isn’t something extraordinary that some people just possess – it’s something you cultivate and promote in yourself every single day. No one likes pain, soreness, hell, even a little discomfort of any kind. And, let’s face it, it’s very comfortable sitting pretty in front of the screen counting hours before the next meal… but you know who else has that kind of lifestyle? Hamsters. And they have a running wheel which they use.
The human body is designed to work – it’s at its best when it works and it’s happiest when it’s been exercised. Your mind will tell you a hundred times over that you don’t want it and then, also, actually don’t really need it. Your own head is trying to screw with you, yes. The thing about exercise is that very few people are actually overly-enthusiastic about it 100% of the time. It’s impossible to keep in a fighting mode every single day especially when you are already in pain from the previous session. The fact is, you know it is the right thing to do. You know that it will improve your quality of life: you’ll feel better and feel more satisfied with yourself while being able to appreciate the rest a lot, A LOT more.
Sometimes, all you need to do is show up. That’s all. You don’t need to be ready, the conditions don’t have to be ideal (they never are), and the gear is really optional as long as you have a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Show up and go through the motions even if you have to count minutes until it’s over. The eagerness and the excitement over what you are doing at times come during the process – like appetite that comes during a meal. Show up and do what you can at whatever pace you can, but do it.
It’s normal to feel like you are not into it, like you are out of shape, like everything is just plain wrong. Yet, you go through the motions – one after another. You are there – what else are you going to do, break down and cry? You have that option, too, but what’s the point? Show up and do it and you’ll think about how it hurts later, that is if you will feel like it being overwhelmed by your own awesomeness and all. The moment it’s done, the moment it’s over all you feel is pride … and maybe a little bit of ache here and there, but that’s ok. You know it’s ok because you did it.
Getting motivated is great, excited – fantastic! It’s unsustainable, though. So, stick to “just showing up”. You wouldn’t miss a meal, would you? Well, you need to move your body just as much as you need food. Without it your body will slowly start breaking down and your quality of life will eventually drop. Like a squeaky door that you don’t actually notice until you fix it one day… and only once you cringe without a reason while opening that door that no longer makes a sound you realize just how much it was bothering you before. It’s the same with training, only once you get into it do you realize just how much your body wanted it, how much you really needed it to be part of your everyday routine. And yeah, being lazy is natural, being bothered by the weather and whatever body aches and pains you already experience is also very normal. It isn’t much to ask from yourself to just go and participate, though, is it? Just go through the motions and see how far it takes you. And then, do it again the next day, too. You can even tell yourself that you won’t do it ever again just to trick your brain into giving up complaining… as long as it is a lie.
Show up. Do some. Do any. And see just how far it takes you.
