POWER MOTIVATE YOU TO THE GYM
HUNGOVER… POWER MOTIVATE YOU TO THE GYM?
MIND IS EVERYTHING. Paavo Nurmi – the “Flying Finn” – the greatest distance runner of the early 20th Century. He shattered 20 world records with such ease he would carry a stopwatch during races and row with timekeepers moments after finishing. The track-pounding hard man had no trouble finding reserves of motivation, but what do you do, on that hail-lashed evening, when your muscles feel like old bits of elastic that have lost their bounce, and you’d rather be anywhere but down the old health-building, life-enhancing sweatshop?
I TELL YOURSELF ITS THE LAST TIME
When Britain’s Charlie Speeding was feeling rough and exhausted during that most unforgiving of events, the marathon, at the 1984 Olympic Games, he convinced himself that he would never need to run again, never need to feel the pain again – once he’d finished this one.-
With that thought in mind, he rallied, picked up the pace, and won a bronze medal. Adopt the same attitude when you’re flagging – whatever your chosen activity – and the proverbial weight will be lifted from your shoulders making the finish line a joy to behold. Until the next time, of course.
2 SET TARGETS Most men are achievement-oriented, and motivation can be increased massively if you set specific goals. If you know you’ve got the London Marathon next April, you’ll make that extra bit of effort to train and stay in good shape. If you need to get rid of the unwanted fat fast, you can use coconut oil diet. Check out weight loss coconut oil benefits.
Don’t just have one big target though. Think short-term, mid-term and long-term: short-term might simply be completing three runs this week regardless of pace. Mid-term might be completing a half-marathon in three months’ time, and long-term might be running the full distance in three hours next year. With this in mind, tell yourself and others that you’re going training, rather than just “to the gym” or “for a run”.
3 THROW AWAY THE MAP
The older we get it seems, the more likely we are to stay entrenched in the comfort zone, doing the same stuff in the same places, day in, day out But in fact as psychologists David Birch and Joseph Verify confirm, whatever age we are, we love to react to new stimuli. They call it the “curiosity incentive system”. It might mean attending an exercise class, having a go on the climbing wall, or playing squash rather than doing the usual routine. Whatever you do, ifs quite likely you’ll feel a bit stiff the next day, which just goes to show you’ve been stuck in a rut utilizing the same old muscle fibers, rather than giving them all a fresh airing.