By: Kevin Kaser
Spring 2023
Maintaining Fitness Motivation for the Long Haul
Working out is a hobby that can attract various types of people, all in drastically different situations. Everyone has their own reasons for working out. Whether you go to the gym to lose a few pounds, add some muscle, or to keep up with your cardio, there are a multitude of reasons why someone would be at the gym. Working out can serve as an escape from everyday life for some, while for others it can seem like more of a chore. One thing is for sure, if you are at the gym you are trying to achieve some sort of fitness related goal, and goals take time. Like anything in life, if you want to be good at something or see positive results, you need to put in long-term time and effort. As the saying goes, hard work pays off, but how does one become motivated enough to achieve such goals, let alone a college student whose day-to-day schedule is jam packed. There are only 24 hours in a day, and most hours are spent in the classroom, or catching up on your sleep. It is important for you to have an idea of what you would like to do with the rest of your day. I have always said the hardest part about working out is getting up and forcing yourself to go to the gym. As a I mentioned previously, one of the most important things about going to the gym is being consistent, and you may be wondering, how does one stay motivated to keep going back to the gym? There are many aspects that go into fitness motivation, and while all may not apply to you, it is important to understand what works best for you.
Understand why you are working out
It is crucial to understand why you are working out. If you chose to do so without any reasoning, you are more likely to not work as hard, or simply just not go back to the gym. Working out with a purpose Is important because you understand what you are trying to achieve. Banner Health noted the importance of finding a passion, whether that is losing weight, competition, sports, or reducing stress, the “why” is what will get you back in the gym. In an interview I had with Lissandra Pearce, a certified personal trainer, she was firm on the idea of having a purpose when working out. She said “as a trainer, I work with a lot of people who are all in different situations. I always tell them to work out with a purpose, and to set goals for the future”. Understanding why you are working out allows you to put a goal in place, and therefore work towards that goal. Furthermore, down the line in your fitness journey, you will be able to look back and remember just how far you have come. The term fitness journey is often used in the gym community, and it ties back to what I said in the introduction. Fitness goals are often achieved over an extended period, and thus you go through a fitness journey. Tony Robbins, an American author, and sports coach wrote an article revolving around excuses. In one bit of the article, he noted the importance of setting goals, and how they force you to stop making excuses, and how they help you work towards something. Whether you work out alone, or with a friend, there will be difficulties while you are striving for your goal, so it is important to remember the positives along the way. Dwelling on the negative aspects of working out will often lead one to stopping fitness. However, if you keep those positive thoughts in the back of your mind you can use those thoughts to remember what you are working for. While working out is most certainly a physical battle, there is a mental aspect as well. Everyone is working out for different reasons, and thus people’s goals will vary, but it is important you understand why you are working out, and what you are striving to accomplish. Mateusz Pasula, a former college student, and now professional soccer went from taking in person classes, to online courses, in order to pursue his dream of playing pro ball in his country Poland. I asked him how he was able to finish school while navigating a professional career. He said “I was able to stay motivated because I knew I was there for a reason. I understood what I was working for, trying to better myself for the future, while pursuing my dream of playing soccer.” Whether you are pursuing an athletic career, or just working out to get in better shape, knowing what you are working towards is instrumental to staying motivated. Having this frame of mind will help you to keep pushing yourself, and in the end, you will be thanking yourself when you notice positive results.
Staying motivated for the long haul
Motivation is a must have when it comes to working out. Without it, it is hard to go to the gym, let alone go there consistently. Like anything in life, you must have a reasoning or purpose for doing something. The question I keep asking is, how do you stay motivated for the long haul? It is easy to lose interest in something, and working out is no different. How do you maintain that motivation to go back to the gym, despite not seeing results right away? Mayo Clinic, a trusted health organization, and Thought Catalog offered some strong insight as to how you can stay motivated to work out:
Know what you can do. It is important to understand your limits so you know what you can and cannot do. Pushing yourself to hard can lead to discouragement, and even injury.
Schedule your work out into your day. Set a time each day for when you will be going to the gym. Treat is as something you will be doing, rather than something you might do
Understand working out is a journey. You will not see results right away. Knowing your goal is a long term one will help you strive to reach that goal every time you are in the gym.
Find a friend to workout with. Working out with a friend will make your workout more enjoyable, it will also help you become more disciplined. Knowing you have a friend meeting up with you at the gym will make it harder for you to skip your workout.
Write down your progress. Whether you are running, lifting weights, or playing a sport, record your progress. Seeing your improvements over days, weeks, and months is a huge boost in confidence.
Each of these tips may not work for everyone, but again it is important to know what works for you. Similarly, to the expression “what gets you out of bed every morning” Have a reason for going to the gym. Without motivation working out will become that much harder.
Motivation is a must have when it comes to working out. Without it, it is hard to go to the gym, let alone go there consistently. Like anything in life, you must have a reasoning or purpose for doing something.
Balancing Academics and Fitness
Being a college student can be hectic, stressful, and time consuming. Whether you are hanging out with some friends, going to your job, or working out, you’re more than likely to have to work around your school schedule. First off let’s be clear, schoolwork academics come first. It’s important to stay on top of you schoolwork to further insure you do not get behind, and thus creating a more hectic schedule. School can be chaotic, and unpredictable, so it is important to plan out your days, and use your time accordingly. Furthermore, understand you can be flexible with exercise. The New York Times wrote an article about making exercise a priority, while remaining flexible. While these two thoughts may seem counter intuitive, it is important to stay motivated to go to the gym as much as you like, but remaining flexible allows you to adapt to whatever may be going on in your day-to-day life. Continuing to write down your daily schedule can benefit you. Planning out your days will allow you to stay disciplined, and help you use your time accordingly. Writing down your plan to go to the gym at 5 o’clock PM rather than saying “I’ll go later” will get you mentally prepared to be at the gym at such time. Saying I’ll go later will allow you to procrastinate with not only going to the gym, but your entire day if you have other obligations to deal with as well. GCU wrote an article on the topic of balancing school and fitness, and they have a quote that gets backs up my previous statement: “treat you work out like a responsibility you can’t ignore.” This quote further backs up the idea that you should treat a workout like something you will be doing, rather than saying you might do it. Secondly, it is important to use your time efficiently at the gym. There is not a specific amount of time you’re required to work out, everyone’s workout varies in time. It is important for you to know what works best for you, and how long you are willing to work out in a given day. Knowing how long you want to be at the gym will help you stay on task during your workout. Your time is valuable, so use it wisely. Working out and going to school are hard enough to do on their own, so it is important you find a way to balance the two. Balancing school and fitness will help you stay on task in the classroom, while also keeping you motivated to get back to the gym.
The importance of having a routine
Having a routine is something that can make or break your day. According to Fort Behavioral Health, someone who begins the day with purpose, and consistency will have more success than someone who does not. This statement can easily be applied to the gym. Those who have a fitness routine are more likely to see positive results than those who do not. A routine will not only help you stay in the gym consistently, but it will help you stay motivated on your fitness journey. Motivation ultimately stems from having a routine. Earlier in the article, I presented a few tips on how to stay motivated. Whether it is writing down your progress, writing down your schedule, or working out with a friend, these are routine based strategies. Having a routine can also serve beneficial to balancing school and working out. School is a daily routine, so why not do the same of working out? Jaylen Young, a former student athlete at Elmhurst University, walked me through what a day of being a student, and football player was like. Between his studies, and sports, Mr. Young was working every day from 6:30 in the morning till 6 at night. He told me “The only way I was able to do this was staying organized, and motivated. I wanted to graduate on time and improve on the field, so I had to stay disciplined and keep myself focused through the process.” Everyone benefits from different strategies, but having a routine can help you get accustomed to doing certain things regularly, and working out is something that can be a whole lot easier if you have an established routine in place. Amy Morin, an Author, and Psychotherapist wrote an article noting some common obstacles we as people deal with that stop us from doing what we want. She urges you to eliminate the word “someday,” and instead set a firm time for when you want to accomplish something. Similarly, to the words provided by Mr. Young, knowing what you want to accomplish can make doing something a whole lot easier, and you’re more likely to go through with what you want to do.
Working out as a college student is something that can be tough for many. It is important to remember what was touched upon in the previous sections. Understanding why you are working out can help you retain that motivation, and untimely reach your goal. Everybody works out for varied reasons, so it is up to you to know your situation and what you are trying to accomplish. Staying motivated in crucial for seeing positive results. Remember, the fitness journey can be a long one, so its crucial you find ways to motivate yourself, so you repeatedly return to the gym. Having a well-balanced school and fitness schedule is necessary. Your academics are the number one priority, but if you are committed to the gym understand you will need to put in the time and effort there as well. Lastly, have a routine. Do things you enjoy, and do them often.
Kevin Kaser is a Junior at North Central College, where he is pursuing a degree in marketing. As a college student, Kevin understands what it is like to battle to maintain fitness motivation. He has first-hand experience when it comes to balancing fitness, and academics, as he enjoys lifting weights, and playing basketball in his free time.
