Posts tagged ‘motivation’

What’s On Your Docket?

photo by fang guo, via flickr creative commons

It’s amazing how many people find this blog through searching “exercise + motivation.”  Unfortunately www.exercisemotivation.com is  $1,499, or I’d consider buying it and trying to do something there.  Like sell treadmills and tickets to 20-year high school reunions.

Actually, building that site might be tougher that it sounds.  The science of motivation is complicated, and there are tons of books out there  that offer perspectives about it (Dan Pink’s Drive is one of my favorites; I covered it a few months ago).  When it comes to exercise specifically,  self-determination theory (SDT) is often referenced.  The foundation of SDT is that human motivation lies along a continuum which includes intrinsic (self) and extrinsic (world around us) components.  Runners who are intrinsically motivated might run because they love the thrill of racing around the track and the feeling of the wind in their hair, while runners who are extrinsically motivated might run because it will result in outcomes that matter to them, or to their loved one, doctor, etc. (i.e., lower blood pressure and body fat).

Every person is at a different place on this continuum — possibly even because we’re wired that way.  The great news is that if “being an exerciser” is (or can become) part of your identity, you’re more likely to stay motivated (according to one study, at least).  So how do we all deepen the exercise portion of our identities?  A great place to start is signing up for a formal event (after all, events are for ATHLETES).  Here are a few resources to help if you’re looking for one to put on your calendar:

Runner’s World Race Finder

Bikeride.com

Stand Up Paddle Events (after all, it’s SUMMERTIME)

Triathlon Calendar

Great Ways to Get Fit for a Cause

Fun Team-Oriented Events (firewalking, included)

I’m training for a half-Ironman in September right now.  How about you?  What’s on your calendar?  Do you feel more like an athlete if you’re training for a formal event, or doesn’t it matter to you?  Beyond events, what motivates you to get and stay fit?

Pre-Dawn Workouts: Five Ideas to Help Them Stick

photo by: david goehring (via flickr creative commons)

Every Tuesday morning, I get up at 5:15am, brew and guzzle some coffee, stumble into some clothes, drive to the gym, and click into a spin bike for a 6am class. To any outsider – let’s say, someone who lives in Mali or came of age in the early 20^th century – this charade of getting up (in the dark) to go to the gym (in the dark) to ride a bike that goes nowhere would likely seem at best, bizarre.  But in today’s world, it’s common practice. Read more