3 Tips on MOTIVATION - By Damien Young

I'd like to give you some tips on what I consider THE MOST IMPORTANT piece of getting and staying in great shape. 

It's not Nutrition. It's not exercise. It's not sleep. It's not recovery.

It's motivation.

Let's face it, if you want to get in better shape, you know that if you eat just a little better and exercise just a little more, you will. 

The problem isn't that we don't know what to do or how to do it. The problem is that we don't do it consistently for long enough or even at all. 

So whether or not you're already in great shape and exercising consistently, or you're not in great shape but want to be, read on. This pertains to EVERYONE. 

Tip 1 - Reasons Vs. Excuses

Simply put, when your reasons for getting into better shape are stronger than your excuses, you'll do what's necessary to achieve them. Your reasons can make you succeed. Your excuses will cause failure. Your reasons will give you hope. Your excuses will drain all hope. 

Every single day that you're not doing something to improve your health, you're making an excuse. 

"I didn't have the time" or "I didn't even think to exercise or eat healthier today" is an excuse. Is it not?

Excuses are the MAIN reason people don't reach their goals. Excuses and then justifying those excuses. 

So let's do all we can to eliminate or at least reduce the importance of those excuses. 

Take a few minutes and DO THIS when you can. Write down on a piece of paper what your 3 MAIN reasons are for getting into better shape. Write them out on the left hand side of a piece of paper. 

Then on the right side of the paper, write down the 3 excuses you tend to give the most for not exercising and eating better. 

Then draw a line from each reason to each excuse. 

Mine looks something like this:

Looking at these reasons and then the excuses, it seems pretty dumb, right?

Let's look at each excuse:

Time restraints - 10 minutes of intense workouts a day is better than zero minutes. I think it's worth adjusting a schedule a bit if needed to lower my blood pressure and live longer.

Don't have the energy - I'll HAVE the energy if I'm in better shape! 

Too stressed to work out - Working out REDUCES stress, decreases cortisol and improves moods!

So when you even start to think about making excuses, refer back to your piece of paper and look how ridiculous those excuses are. 

2. - Schedule things around you looking and feeling better.

Let's look into the future only 2 months from now. Do you have anything planned that you'd LOVE to look and feel better for?

Do you have a vacation, a wedding, a special occasion, anything?

If not, create one now! 

When would 2 months from the day you're reading this be?

Plan something. Book a vacation, plan a great night out, tell your friends and loved ones you're going to reveal your new self, 

buy a  new outfit that's a smaller size or two, buy a bathing suit that you'd never wear right now, enter a 5k race.  Just plan for something that'll give you extra incentive to get in better shape for it.

Doing this will just add to your reasons for getting in better shape. And again, when you have more reasons and more important reasons, your excuses dwindle down.

3. - YOU are the example!

We ALL have someone in this life who looks up to us. Whether it's our children, spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, co-worker, friend or a stranger who knows us, there's someone that looks up to you.

If you work out and eat healthy, become healthier and are driven to succeed in your fitness goals, what kind of example are you setting? A pretty good one, right?

Now let's flip it. If you don't work out, are unhealthy, make excuses all the time, and are constantly sick or in pain, what kind of example are you setting?

I always tell people to do this for themselves first. Yes, I want you to do it for yourself. But if you can get extra motivation by knowing that others who look up to you will become inspired, by all means, do it!

You know the best way to lead is by example. You cannot expect an overweight child to do what's needed to get fit if YOU aren't doing it yourself. 

You have no business telling a co-worker, friend, lover, etc that they should exercise regularly if you're not. 

So start setting the example. Inspire others around you. My inspiration doesn't come from those who are in incredible shape. It comes from those who are NOT in incredible shape but are pushing themselves to get there!

I'll let you in on a little secret......

I have a photographic memory when it comes to names and body types. I know by your name what shape you're in. I know who's in good shape and who's in bad shape.

Every day when I look at my feed that shows me who's checking in on the app and working out, I notice each name.

When I see someone's name who is in pretty bad shape, it MOTIVATES the hell out of me. It removes all my excuses for that day. It INSPIRES me to do something that day. 

So NEVER think you can't or won't inspire someone. 

You can inspire someone who's been doing this for 30 years just by working out!

Here's your recap:

1. Make that list of your 3 Most Important Reasons, then your 3 biggest excuses and try to make sense of it. 

2. Schedule things around you looking and feeling better. Set yourself up for success!

3. Lead by example, Inspire others, KNOW that not only you are counting on yourself to get in better shape, others around you will notice as well.

Do these three things and watch your excuses dwindle down to fleeting voices in your head that get overwhelmed with all your important reasons!

Then watch that scale go down, watch those muscles get firmer, watch those inches drop, and watch not just your face in the mirror, but those faces of everyone who knows you that become inspired!

Have a great day and I'll be in touch again soon! Stay Positive, Stay Motivated and Stay on this path. It's the right one!