How to Stay Motivated
Whether you’re a professional athlete, an athlete actively training for the Olympics, or a person who is dedicated to living a healthy, active lifestyle, motivation plays a key role that’s just as important as an effective workout, the right nutrition, and proper hydration. Motivation is what drives climbers to challenge the steepest cliffs, what encourages sports athletes to show up for grueling practice sessions, and what gets you to the gym every day.
Most days, almost all of us have no trouble with motivation, especially when it involves doing something that we love and that makes us feel great about our accomplishments, like succeeding in our favorite sport. But everyone has those days, once in a while, where it’s hard to find that motivation. Here are a few tips from the pros that will help you hold onto that motivation.
Optimism. A positive attitude is important for athletes. In fact, a study of Olympic athletes found that most described themselves as positive or optimistic. This doesn’t mean just smiling all the time. It means having that positive spirit that lets you set aside the negatives and push forward toward achieving your goals. Optimism means that you have a positive attitude about your ability to succeed.
Perception. Together with optimism, perception is an important trait that lets you anticipate upcoming challenges so you can adapt to them. When you perceive upcoming difficulty, you can anticipate it and change your focus to push through it. For example, runners might pay attention to a single movement rather than thinking about how much longer they have to run. You might call this mindfulness, experiencing the present without thinking about the future, which in this example is all those extra miles ahead.
Coaching. When things get difficult, it’s your coach’s job to help push you through it. If you don’t have the right person who understands your personality and understands your goals, they won’t be able to motivate you. Choose a coach who is a partner and a mentor. If you’re located near McDonough, Georgia, check out the TotalFit Lifestyle professional gym, with TotalFit Lifestyle Coaches dedicated to results-driven conditioning and weight loss workouts with personalized goal-setting.
Loving the challenge. Athletes – and people dedicated to a healthy lifestyle – are more successful when they embrace all aspects of the sport, including those grueling practice and workout sessions. If you’re a football player who only loves playing with the crowd of cheering fans, you’ll be less motivated than someone who has learned to love the entire journey, including all those exhausting days of practice.
Repeating those goals. While others can help you find your motivation, it really lies deep within yourself. Know all the reasons you do what you do. Write them down. Burn them into your subconscious so they’ll be the voice inside you on those days when things just seem so difficult. Do this, and you just won’t allow yourself to give up, no matter what happens.









