“I promise to myself that I will start working out this year!” This is one of the most common promises that women make every December 31 at midnight, following the example of Bridget Jones.
The initial enthusiasm usually lasts several days – so this well-known sentence is repeated hundreds of times – but in a large number of cases it remains nothing more than a promise.
It is difficult for us to decide to adopt a new habit and to stick to it regularly. But, what gives strength to most fitness instructors, spending thousands of words and giving a huge number of examples to their potential clients, is the fact that only after a few weeks, those having problems concerning motivation cannot believe how mistaken they have been.
And sometimes they cannot accept their previous way of life. But, for such a feeling of complete satisfaction with the new way of life, the real reasons for a regular work out are important as well.
Temporary obsessions such as “summer is coming and I want to look perfect on the beach”, supported by commercial campaigns in media, never give good results.
This is because a person counting on quick effects has to face with their short duration, something that real sportsmen and lovers of healthy life can never accept.
Therefore, advice such as “perfect waist till Friday” are conscious lies which make people become even more doubtful.
Sport has never been a part of the instant philosophy of life, but the essential element of healthy attitudes towards yourself and your body. Regular activity changes your way of thinking, attitude toward life and it gives the feeling of great energy and enthusiasm plus readiness and motivation.
For all these reasons there are two keys for good motivation. The first is self-love. This does not mean banal narcissistic obsession which leads only to deeper frustrations, but readiness to put certain efforts in order to improve yourself.
Because, one who has a healthy relation to oneself never counts on being attractive to others. A sportsperson always thinks on the goal they have in front, and after that, everyone outside.
That leads us to the second key motive – a wish to develop all our potentials until the end. It is a natural obligation of all of us; the talented and those who are not, the more or less skillful, the enduring and the weaker, the persistent and the hesitating.
Especially concerning this second group that shouts in choir: “No, thanks, that’s not for me!”, it is important to accept the challenge and to prove yourself. To whom? To yourself and only to yourself.
There are thousands of examples that confirm that with better readiness to work, the goals are, sooner or later, easily attainable.
Marija is founder of iShape Middle East at Fairmont Hotel Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road. She can be found at Instagram – @marizanikolic and @iShape_ME.