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SALT LAKE CITY -- It's mid-February, and if you're like most people, you've given up on your resolution to get fit and work out more often. But how can you get yourself motivated to start working out again? One way is to stop obsessing about weight.
Too many people ... focus only on their weight. They don't notice the other fitness milestones they've reached.
Losing weight is a great way to gauge whether or not your fitness program is working, but it's not the only way. New Start Fitness owner Valerie Adams says too many people starting a training regiment focus only on their weight, and they don't notice the other fitness milestones they've reached.
"I try to track things as much as I can so that I have something to show them," she says.
Adams says she notices the improvements her clients make, even if they can't. For some people, even looser clothes and increased flexibility are little comfort if their weight isn't dropping. But the smaller victories are what people should be focusing on at first, and weight loss will come in time.
"(I) try to point out the things that they are doing better," Adams says. "They're gaining more mobility. Or, maybe something doesn't hurt the way it used to."
Adams say motivating someone who was fit at one time may be easier than someone who has been sedentary their whole life. After someone gets used to exercise, Adams says there's an increased feeling of energy. But sedentary people might not recognize what that feeling is.
"Those that have been fit, those are the ones that you can push and they like the feeling," she explains.
If someone has never worked out until now, exercising may make them feel more physically strained, not energized. So, Adams says it's helpful to remind them of how proud they felt when they were able to accomplish something they couldn't do before.
"When it happens for the first time they really get excited. It's just getting to that next level [is when] they start to get discouraged," she says.
Sadly, not everyone who has lost their desire to work out will be able to find it again. Adams says these motivational tactics can work, but those who want to simply lose weight quickly without long term changes are likely to give up.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
