Motivation

Happy holiday's everyone!

Christmas is only a few days, do you know what that means? That's right, New Years is just around the corner. That also means it's time for everyone to make a new years resolution. Being a regular at the gym, I've always noticed that most people make the resolution to get into better shape and lose some weight. I also tend to notice that most people do not stick with their resolution. The gym is generally overcrowded in January, about half the crowd is gone by February, and by March only the regulars are left. So why is it so difficult to stick with our resolutions? It's no secret that we all struggle with self-motivation. We set our goals, we work at it for a few weeks, maybe even a few months; eventually we start making excuses to stop working towards our goals and we give up. Then we wonder why it is that we have to start over again. The whole process is tiring and eventually we stop trying to restart.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is the fact that I am my biggest problem when it comes to motivation. I can't seem to keep myself motivated enough to stick with new goals at first. When I first started running in high school, I did it with the end goal of shortening my mile time for volleyball tryouts. I then had a friend that needed a running partner, so I ran with her. She might not know it, but she was my motivation. On days that she couldn't run, I wouldn't. When we did run, I would want to go one mile, and she would want to go three. I was easily embarrassed because I thought I was out of shape, so I struggled to keep up with her. Before I knew it, I was running 5 miles easily. Later in high school, during cross country, my PR was my motivation. I was the slowest runner on the team, so, seeing as I was easily embarrassed, I hated my speed. I worked to improve it. That was my motivation. As soon as I got out of high school I lost all motivation. I didn't have a running partner and I didn't have a PR to break at my next race. My only goal was to lose weight, but I attended the gym regularly so I wasn't dead set on running. I had no goal. That's when my friend recommended reading Runner's World Magazine for motivation. I wasn't thrilled at first, but I was hooked with the first issue I read. By reading the things that other people have gone through to get to where they are, how much of a struggle they went through to finish their first 5k, it really got me thinking. By the time I finished the second issue I was so motivated that I wanted to start training for a half marathon.

I'm not telling you that you must read this magazine, but reading about how successful other people are, you might find yourself more willing to stick with your goals. If your goal is to run, whether it be for health or to finish a race, I have attached a few websites with motivational hints, tips, and success stories. If you have time, I really urge you to read at least a few. It might really make a difference. Also, I will be posting weekly motivational quotes in the sidebars of this website. It doesn't seem like much, but they really might get you thinking.

Motivation:
Hints and Tips
Success Stories

Happy Holidays & A Happy New Year!
Danielle ♥