What Motivates You?
| March 9, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under ACE, Heath, Uncategorized, Wellness |
Last month I started on a new journey … something I have been wanting to do for awhile. I started studying for my ACE personal training certificate. Fitness has been a passion of mine for most of my life, so it just made sense to pursue it! I am really excited to bring you guys on this journey with me 
One of the topics I was studying recently was on adherence and motivation. Motivation is a complex and somewhat difficult thing to understand. I mean, why are some people inherently more motivated than others? What is it in me that motivates me each day to try to be better, do more, push harder?
One of the ways that motivation can be evaluated is in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation, in regards to exercise, means that a person participates because they genuinely enjoy doing the activity. To be purely intrinsically motivation, a person would exercise for no other reason … just for the pure joy of the activity. Extrinsic motivation means that one participates for the other benefits of the activity such as losing weight, health benefits, to look good, etc. Most of us are not purely intrinsically motivated … we require some other factor to get us moving. However, intrinsic motivation is associated with greater adherence, reaching maximal effort,and persistence … even when faced with a challenge.
I found this to be fascinating and spent some time thinking about the factors that motivation me to lace up my sneakers and go for a run. As of right now I think I am 50/50 … 50% intrinsically motivated and 50% extrinsically motivated. I LOVE the feeling I get when I workout. My head clears, my heart beats, and my stress dissipates. BUT I am not currently working out for those feelings alone.
SO, what factors are motivating me to work-out?
1. To lose weight: This is a relatively new motivating factor for me. Before now, I have never had to lose weight. I am blessed with being tall and slender with a decent metabolism. After having Emmie I have been working really hard to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and have charted my progress via my post-baby body updates. I have to say this is a HUGE motivating factor for me.
2. To be healthy. It is a widely accepted fact that regular exercise is incredibly important for overall health. This is rather important to me since I want to be around for a VERY long time.
3. To be socially engaged. As a new, and stay-at-home, mom finding adult time can be difficult. I love going to the gym for that bit of social interaction. Bootcamp has been awesome for this via the Facebook group created just for bootcamp participants.
And probably the MOST motivating factor in my life to stay active …
4. To be a good example for my daughter. I am a firm believer that children who see their parents as active individuals are more likely to be active themselves. When I was a kid I played outside after school until the street lamps came on. Nowadays more kids are planted in front of the TV or playing video games. I am hoping that by seeing me be active Emmie will want to participate with me and then fall into an active lifestyle herself.
It was definitely food for thought and a good exercise to sit down and evaluate WHY I am working out. What pushes me out the door. I think that understanding that in myself will help me understand it in my clients and provide them with that extra push they might need to accomplish their goals.
What motivates you? How intrinsically/extrinsically motivated are you?
great post! i’ve got a draft of a similar one almost done about my why…why i workout, why i blog, why i wanna be an RD…love it!
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean recently posted..Fitness Friday 13: 20 New Moves
Why do we think so similarly?? I just posted this morning about how Caroline is my motivation. Love it! #momsunite
Lisa @ The Splattered Apron recently posted..I Said I Would Never
I love this post! I definitely workout because of the great feelings that I get from it, but also as a way to be healthy, be fit, and weight maintenance!
Lindsay @ In Sweetness and In Health recently posted..Fitness Loves of the Week #6
Great post! I like to think that I work out to set a good example for my son (and I really think I do) but I also have to admit I workout to feel good and fit into my “skinny” clothes!
Callie @ The Wannabe Athlete recently posted..Owning It
Great post! Sometimes I think we all just need to step back and remember we’ve got A LOT motivating us, even in those moments where we feel completely unmotivated!
Yeah for ACE!! Hubby and I are ACE certified so please ask me any questions you might have!
I’m motivated by feeling healthy and having energy! The blog also keeps me accountable to be a good role model and practice what I preach.
I would have to say that 50/50 is the best way to describe my motivation as well, I love going to yoga and running when the weather is not 100+. However, I am also extrinsically motivated by the work I do as an actor. I work on devising shows and using my body to tell a story. As an artist, my body is my canvas and I would like to be able to use it in every possible way for as long as I possibly can. The body also directly supports the voice, ever since I went on my body mind journey I have found this great speaking voice that makes my job as an actor easier and more enjoyable for audience members. So I would say my number one motivation for exercise would be to better myself as and actor/collaborator.
Love example number 4! Ryne and I have already had discussions on how we will raise the baby in a way that’s not neccessarily the “norm” anymore. We’ve already talked about not having cable and things like that in the house. We shall see!
Presley (Run Pretty) recently posted..Cranberry Pineapple Breakfast Bake
Totally agree! I am motivated by all of these reasons as well. And an additional one for me is to be able to make fitness and nutrition my full time job someday (sooner rather than later) and practice what I preach as a gym owner!
Amanda Perry @ Sistas of Strength recently posted..The Final Countdown…to RKC
What a great post! I am motivated the same way. I want to feel good … and feel healthy, and know that I am living my life with the healthiest outlook I can!
Yellow Haired Girl recently posted..The “No Plans” Plans
I think I’m 50/50 too. I’m very motivated to be healthy and because it makes me feel good. I also love to bribe myself when I reach goals
Caroline @ After Dinner Dance recently posted..Energizing Avocado Pasta
I’m very extrinsically motivated — I joined Tina’s Bootcamp because just knowing I needed to get fit wasn’t getting the job done. (I’d sit around thinking I wanted to work out and never actually do it.) The prizes motivate me, along with the knowledge that working out will help me lose weight.
I’d like to move for the pure joy of moving — but I’m not there yet. The bootcamp workouts are making me feel amazing (exhausted and sore, but great), though, so I might get there.
Arlene @ Adventures in Weight Loss recently posted..Fun with garbage cans
Great post. I always have a hard time pinpointing exactly how or why I stay motivated. It’s mostly how working out makes me feel really.
Heather (Where’s the Beach) recently posted..One of Those Days & Finding Support
motivation: I used to be teased when I was younger for being a little chubby. NEVER wanna go through that again. But, I truly ENJOY exercise! That’s why I love DANCE IT OUT, ZUMBA, and SPIN to keep it fun and exciting!!!
Kelsey @ The Secret Life of Kelsey recently posted..Fitness Gear: My MUST HAVES
I didn’t realize you were studying to become a PT. That is awesome…you will be great at it. I love seeing how people’s blogs help inspire their life goals. You inspire and motivate me!
Talia @ Bite Size Wellness recently posted..Coconut Oil: Whole Body Health
Great Post!! I am motivated by the way I feel plus reading all of these great fitness blogs helps too!!!
Toni @ Runninglovingliving recently posted..Friday Favorites 3/8/12
What motivates me to exercise is losing weight and getting healthy. I would say I’m on the Intrinsic side.
Angie @ Losing It and Loving It recently posted..More Great Workout Songs
I love this post, it was really interesting and actually quite touching to read.
I enjoyed reading your own personal motivations. I definitely would say that I work out because I want to stay healthy, because it’s important for my condition, and because I want to lose weight. But a large part of me works out just because I enjoy it and I love the physical feeling I get afterwards
Sophie @ Love Live & Learn recently posted..This Friday in Food.
[...] I figured out what motivates me [...]
… [Trackback]…
[...] Informations on that Topic: foodfitnessandfamilyblog.com/2012/03/what-motivates-you/ [...]…