Motivation and Willpower. Two things integral in succeeding at your goals. And both, can come from places you didn’t initially think. Being a personal trainer, in Las Vegas, the city of sin and temptation, I have to deal with both. Clients finding the motivation, and the willpower to stay on the right track to becoming healthy and achieving all their fitness goals. What you will find here in Las Vegas, are roadblocks and excuses. Both in plenty supply. Every weekend there is a party, or a fight, or a DJ, or a concert that you just HAVE to go to, because, you couldn’t go to the one next week. Or the week after that. With all those events comes the drinking, and eating horribly. Just because you go to whatever high class steak house in whatever casino, doesn’t mean you HAVE to get a 24oz steak, and their gourmet mashed potatoes. But, people will justify their decisions as such. I’m going to give you a few tips, that will not only help in Las Vegas, but will also help wherever you live, to get more of these two key components.
Motivation, you should be able to find within. The simplest way to do this is to visualize you at your goal points. How does it feel? What will YOU be feeling, looking like, accomplishing when you get to your goals? Another good option is to unknowingly recruit external motivators. Your friends. Schedule workouts with them, try a new healthy eating spot, update them on your status, even if they don’t ask:) Try to get them to be an active part of your fitness journey, but if they aren’t, then there are always virtual fitness buddies, who can hold you accountable. Most people are motivated, they just need to keep that motivation turned on. So, surround yourself with it!
Willpower is a whole other quality, that most people don’t understand. You don’t run out of willpower, although people think you do. For example. If you love cake, and you keep going to birthday parties, eventually, you’ll eat some cake. Two things are wrong with this. One, you didn’t plan ahead, and two, you keep setting yourself up for failure. Your willpower doesn’t just come at the point of contact. Willpower is an ongoing thing. This means planning for those obstacles. If you are going to go to 5 birthday parties in 3 weeks, you probably know this. So, what should you do before each party? One, you should eat before you go. Two, you should maybe pack some healthy treat, for when people are eating cake, you eat that. I know that people love birthday parties, but maybe you just stop by for a few minutes, and not be surrounded by the things that will make you go backwards from your goals. Don’t hang out, with your temptations just looming right next to you on the table. This is kind of exaggerated, but you can’t say that an alcoholic has no willpower if you make them sit in a fully stocked bar for hours. Don’t surround yourself with the things that can break your willpower. It will be easier to keep it up.
Just a few tips on a couple key components in the game of goals, fitness and otherwise. Learn how to harness Motivation and Willpower, and you’ll reach those goals much quicker than you think.
