Motivation!

Ah motivation. What would a fitness blog be without some kind of post on motivation?

I decided to do this post today, randomly, while at the gym, while dealing with a bit of my own demotivation and realizing what truly motivates me.

Our weekend just ended (it's Wednesday night to Friday night). It was lots of fun! I finally got to meet one of my husband's best friends and his girlfriend, and we went out and it was great to hang out with people and, for me, it was nice to be around another girl since I haven't talked to one face to face since I was in Canada in March. Girlfriends are so good to talk to.

The weekend was fun, but it was so difficult. Our sleep cycle got messed up, I got sick, and I just didn't handle it well. Therefore, my day today in the gym was kind of weak. At the beginning anyways. I sucked hard at my pull-ups, and that got me down because one of my fitness goals to reach by the end of 2012 is to do a full body weight pull-up, and I don't want or need any hiccups in reaching that goal. It just sucks when you set a goal and you feel like you're failing. Which is so silly, because the end of the year is months away, and I can totally reach this goal by then, and that's where motivation comes in.

After moving on to some rear delt work, I put on some motivating music. Music helps me so much in the gym. That's one of my tips. Find music that works for you. Today I needed Katy Perry. Some days I need Rihanna, or LMFAO, or something else. It's usually upbeat, but that's just me. Whatever it is for you, find music that makes you want to push harder and puts you in that mental place where you're motivated and put it on repeat and get your work done! It could be Mozart or Linkin Park. I don't care what it is, and nobody else needs to know, so just do it!

When I get demotivated, I also get motivation from my husband. He's one of my biggest supporters, and I've said it before...I couldn't do this without him. He's my biggest cheerleader, and he'll do anything to help me, and when he tells me that it's ok that I sucked and I'll still reach my goal and he'll help me get better, that definitely helps pick my motivation off the floor so I can keep going and push harder. So find someone to support you. There are lots of people who will be happy for you, and there will be people who think you're crazy and criticize you, but all you need is one person who believes in you and will help you however. Find that person. It could be your spouse (and if you're married, it should be!), one of your parents, your best friend, or even a person that you met at the gym who you can workout with and motivate each other and hold each other accountable. And if you can't find anyone around you, then hey! I'm always here :) I'll be your motivation buddy :)

I do online a lot and look up what's called 'fitspiration'. It's basically things that people have found to inspire them in their journey to fitness. It could be pictures of athletes, it could be quotes, it could be awesome recipes that help us eat better, it could be anything. I enjoy seeing pictures of athletes because I can see all the hard work they've put in and how it has paid off, and that also helps me to keep going.

Sometimes people ask who someone's personal 'fitspiration' is. I've racked my brain to think of a celebrity or athlete that I'd like to be like, but the truth is that my biggest fitness inspiration is my mother-in-law. She has been one of my biggest supporters. Her and my father-in-law pay for my gym membership, and she sends me nutrition info and articles, and took me into the gym and showed me how to use everything and how to start out. Without her I wouldn't be able to leg press 240 pounds or squat 50 pounds or do intervals on the treadmill or do 40 pounds on the triceps machine. I also wouldn't have a real-life inspiration, because she is mine. I'm 25 years old, and she is twice my age and can leg press 500 pounds. If that doesn't motivate you to be in shape for the rest of your life, I don't know what will! And the crazy part is that she's only been doing this for less than 10 years! One of my main reasons for being fit is because I want to be the kind of badass she is when I'm her age! If she can do it, I can, and that thought makes me push harder every time I'm in the gym. Having someone like her to aspire to be like is definitely a huge help! Find someone who inspires you. They don't even have to be a fitness person. Just find someone to look up to who makes you want to be better. That will influence your whole life, including your health and fitness journey.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my motivators and my tips on finding your own motivation. Have some you'd like to tell me about? I'd LOVE to hear about it in the comments!

Amanda <3