How motivated are you to get out of bed in the morning and to squeeze in a workout? How motivated are you to go for a workout when you’re feeling tired, or to go for a run when the weather is not great?
One thing is for sure, it requires a certain level of motivation to do this!

People strive on different types of motivation and there have been a lot of studies about this. Someone might need a training partner to get their ass into to gear. If their partner pulls out, they won’t train.
Others need a trainer to stick to a training regime while some need no-one to work out on a regular basis.

Another important question you can ask yourself is, how motivated are you to push yourself while you work out?
First of all, doing something is always better than nothing. I see that few people don’t need anyone to push themselves to their limits. Others others need a trainer or a bunch of other people to get pushed to the next level. In general, most people will get more out of working out with a trainer, which is why I feel lucky to do what I do for a living.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

In general we can speak about two different forms of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation comes from within the person. People who are intrinsic motivated to exercise, exercise for the sheer of pleasure or satisfaction that they get from the activity.
Extrinsic motivation on the other hand comes from outside the person. In relation to exercising, people who are extrinsic motivated exercise because it’s suggested by family members, a physician, or just because they they feel some kind of social pressure to do so.

Making the switch

Many people start an exercise program for extrinsic reasons, such as wanting to look better. However, starting a training regime solely for these reasons is often not enough to keep it up in the long run. Extrinsic motivation is often insufficient to get people over the hurdles of being too busy or tired to keep training regularly.
People who are intrinsic motivated tend to stick to a training program a lot better and for a lot longer.
The interesting thing is that after training for awhile people often start to make the switch. From being extrinsic motivated, they suddenly start to be intrinsic motivated.

A Few Tips

Here are a few tips that will help you to do that:

• Choose for a type of training which you enjoy.
• Have a training plan and create a routine.
• Set your fitness goals (short and long term).
• Train consistently or at least try (even if you’re not up for it).