I am mildly obsessed with helping clients improve their health, their strength, and their wellness . So, when DRIVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us crossed my desk, I was giddy to start reading.
“How can I be more motivated?” crosses every everyone’s mind at some point. New York Times Bestselling Author, Daniel H. Pink answers with explanation and examples of work environments that are harnessing our natural intrinsic motivation with outstanding results. Thankfully, Dan has included bullet points for individuals seeking renewed intrinsic motivation with exercise and given Blakely FIT permission to share this excerpt here.
So, please read below. Because how great would it be to want to exercise? For those of you that already do, please feel free to read on and nod. For those of you that don’t, please read and apply. You just might find an internal reserve you’ve overlooked. Like forgotten money in a fall coat pocket, and who doesn’t love that?
“Four Tips for Getting (and Staying) Motivated to Exercise
Set your own goals. Don’t accept some standardized, cookie-cutter exercise plan. Create one that’s tailored to your needs and fitness level. (You can work with a professional on this, but you make the final calls.) Equally important, set the right kinds of goals…people who pursue more intrinsic goals – to get fit in order to feel good or to stay healthy for their family – make slower progress at first, but achieve significantly better results in the long term.
Ditch the treadmill. Unless you really like treadmills, that is…Gather some friends for an informal game of tennis or basketball, join an amateur league, go for walks at a local park, dance for half an hour, or play with your kids. Use the Sawyer Effect to your advantage – and turn your work (out) into play.
Keep mastery in mind. getting better at something provides a great source of renewable energy. So pick an activity in which you can improve over time…
Reward yourself the right way. …in general don’t bribe yourself with “if-then” rewards – like “If I exercise four times this week, then I’ll buy myself a new shirt.” They can backfire. But the occasional “now that” reward? Not a problem. So, if you’ve swum the distance you hoped this week, there’s no harm in treating yourself to a massage afterward.”
Pink, Daniel H., Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, pp 201-02, Riverhead Books, New York, 2009
Interested in reading more? Click here to purchase DRIVE.
773-680-6824 train@blakelyfit.com
