Why are you doing P90x / Insanity / etc.? Did your wife / husband make you? Did you see the infomercial and get pumped up by the idea of being ripped? Are your buddies doing it? Did your doctor say you have to do something about your health?
We all have reasons for why we decided to do this. That motivation is what gets us started on the journey. During the journey, we may forget the motivation we had at the start, or the journey may become so hard that the motivation we had is no longer enough to keep us going. Often times, our ability to stay the course is directly proportional to how important our reason is for doing it in the first place. If it’s because we thought Tony was handsome and started so that we could watch him on TV every day, we might quickly tire of that! But if our doctor told us we will die of an obesity-related disease, we are much more likely to stick to it.
Let me tell you about my motivation. For those of you who have read the “My story” tab on the homepage, I describe how I was motivated by my faith and my children to make a lifestyle change. This motivation was, and continues to be, the foundation for the healthy lifestyle changes I’ve made. It’s a “Why” that is stronger than the desire to sleep in, the desire to eat candy, and the desire to be lazy. My “Why” keeps me going!
However, sometimes we need something new, something different, to rekindle that fire and motivation and keep us pushing play. Although these are not my overarching reason for getting healthy, they can throw some extra fuel on my fire. Here’s some of those motivators I have used during my transformation:
1) Competition = Even though it’s just me working out, there is something about conquering the workout, beating my record from last time, or pushing myself harder than I did last time that brings out those manly competitive juices in me! Since I’m “over the hill” and don’t get to participate in sports, these workouts serve to feed that male-ego thing for me! And something like the upcoming Asylum Challenge, pitting teamRIPPED against team Xcellent Fitness, fuels that competitive fire even more, and makes me even more ready to Dig Deep!
2) Variety = Even with the muscle confusion, the workouts can get a little routine after several times through. I get very excited anytime I sit down and start putting together my next “hybrid” routine, thinking about how each workout will work with the others to help me take it to the next level. As you can see by my current workout, I’ve incorporated lots of variety with different workout programs to keep things fresh and unpredictable. I use P90X, Insanity, P90X Plus, Tony Horton 1-on-1’s and even my own homemade TRX system (YouTube video on my homemade TRX can be found HERE!)
3) Accountability / Team = This is huge for me. If I was working out in secret, it would be way too easy for me to start slacking off. By being a coach, I am accountable to all of you. Plus, I have several friends / family / neighbors who have started doing the program after seeing my transformation, and we check in with each other often to see how we are doing on the workouts and nutrition. No way can I let up now, because I’d not only let myself down but all the other people who look to me for motivation.
4) Rewards = I love getting to freshen up the wardrobe now that I’ve got a new physique and the old clothes don’t fit anymore. I have had fun buying some pretty stylish jeans (I never could fit in “cool” jeans before), and I have picked up several snug Under Armour shirts now that I don’t look gross in them!! LOL! It’s fun to let yourself splurge as a reward for all your hard work. Now don’t overdo it or you’ll need a credit counselling coach as well!!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
