We dream of moving more, feeling better, strengthening muscles and maintaining an athletic figure. But how do you force yourself to regularly go to the gym or go for a run? Not all motivators are useful.
Let’s start with what can help you take care of yourself. It is not necessary to do flips, pull-ups or push-ups a hundred times every day. We can, for example, run, slowly and measuredly. Enjoy running and use those few miles to think.
But even if we enjoy the workout, sometimes we just don’t feel like doing it. After all, it is much more pleasant to sleep, watch TV, chew a sandwich or shine in the bathroom. When those thoughts come up, you need to remember one of the motivational mantras to force yourself off the couch and get started, says poet, children’s writer and book illustrator Judith Natally McLaughlin.
5 useful mantras
1. We must do it while we can.
There will come a moment when the body will no longer be as strong and flexible as before, so we need to promise ourselves to get up and run as long as we can.
2. Don’t think, just do
This is the commandment of many fitness instructors. When it seems that the exercises are too difficult and it is better to do them in the wrong way and in the wrong order, it is useful to remind yourself: “Don’t think, do it!” These same words help to abandon the search for a legitimate reason not to practice at all.
3. Hate now, love later
Yes, no one likes to run when they are not in the mood to do so. Each step is perceived as a struggle. But no matter how terrible the training seems, when it is over, there will be a reason to be proud of yourself.
4. Nothing will happen
Whatever excuse we give ourselves for avoiding training, nothing will change while we are running. Both bad and good.
5. Clear your mind
Sometimes the head is full of worries, problems in the family and at work, stresses of everyday life. A long run will do wonders to clear your head. Classes allow you to press the reset button. And this is what is absolutely necessary.
When we talk ourselves into starting or continuing to exercise, we don’t always use phrases that really support and motivate us. Sometimes, trying to push ourselves through the pain, we can harm our body and self-esteem, says clinical psychologist and physiologist Elizabeth Lombardo.
5 harmful mantras
1. No pain, no result
This slogan has no advantages and it can even lead to injury. When we experience pain, it may mean that something has gone wrong in the body. It would be more correct to say “No training – no result.” You need to train your body to change yourself.
2. Tomorrow will either hurt or be ashamed
We understand what this mantra is about, but it doesn’t sound very uplifting. No one wants to choose between two negative outcomes. This mantra rather makes us afraid. It’s better to focus on a positive outcome, like “I’ll feel better when I exercise.”
3. Want to get results faster? work harder
It should be like this: “Do you want to achieve results faster? Train smarter.” Hard training doesn’t always bring change. Exercise is stressful for the body. What results they bring depends on their quantity and quality. And it’s important to remember that the body gets stronger in between workouts, so you just need to rest.
4. Pain is a weakness with which the body parted.
If it hurts, it’s better to stop. Even if the pain does not seem particularly strong, you can harm the body. But it is important to remember the difference between pain and discomfort.
5. You need to earn your body
This mantra implies that we do not deserve the body we have now, which is enough to seriously undermine self-esteem. When we are trying to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves, we must not forget that the body already looks good enough.