How to stay motivated?
Besides training and nutrition, competing takes mental strength and the will to achieve your goals. How do you stay motivated when your motivation for all the work you’ve put in disappears? I’ve written about the things that have helped me keep striving to be a champion.
How to stay motivated with the help of a goal
Set yourself a precise and realistic goal. A mere decision to follow a healthy lifestyle or to compete someday isn’t a very precise notion. When setting goals, it’s also a good idea to write down how you intend to achieve them.
For example, a competitor’s goal: I intend to compete in Fitness Classic next spring, and together with my coach I’ll adjust my programs to focus on the areas where I fell short at my previous competitions. I like to turn my goals into a list that is in front of my eyes every day to keep me motivated, so that I train toward a specific target. On my fridge door you’ll find a meal plan and a training program as well as a competition calendar.
Uphill and downhill
It’s good to be prepared for days or periods of bad mood, negative thoughts and lack of motivation. At such times you need the support of your team. Although the decision and the will to reach certain goals lie within you, surround yourself with people who share similar interests, who support you and who respect your decision to live your life this way. Remember that you’re doing this for yourself, not to please others.
I’ve learned to treat these “downhill” stretches as challenges. Getting through them strengthens your mind and your desire to achieve more. The road to the goal isn’t always easy: you wake up before the crack of dawn, eat the same food every day, train for hours and, especially before competitions, spend all your free time in the gym working out or posing. Although your mind and body scream for rest and sleep, we don’t give in. Reaching your goals takes strong willpower, character and a burning desire to get where you want to be.
Remember, none of us is perfect! Everyone has moments when they slip up on their diet, skip the gym now and then or push a cardio session back “a little”. We learn from our mistakes. So it’s worth developing yourself mentally alongside building your physique.
Your own psyche/psychology/psychoanalysis
Every day I think through my upcoming competitions and how I want to step onto the stage again in the best possible shape. Sometimes, when my motivation seems to have vanished, I have to psychoanalyze myself. I call these moments “self-peptalk” sessions, as in pumping yourself up. Then I go through in my mind why I started competing in the first place and what I’m willing to do for it. I’ve learned certain mantras and thoughts that work best for me. It’s also a good idea to find a support person you can talk things over with and get support and encouragement from.
Visual motivators
I’m a very visual person. I get my motivation by looking at pictures of Pro Bikini competitors every day and reading inspiring quotes. My fridge door is covered with taped-up pictures, training programs, training articles, competition photos and competition passes. Trophies and medals have their place too, at home next to the cardio machine. When it feels like I can’t manage another workout, these awards remind me of my achievements and of the fact that I want to keep developing as a competitor and do more than before. It’s not a lifealter, it’s a lifestyle!
Author: Anna Virmajoki
Translated by: Kertu Koronen
(BODY. October/2012)
Author: Anna Virmajoki”;i:55;s:23:” Kertu Koronen (translation)
Source: Turg.Fitness.ee
Come work out! ArtGym
