Recently someone asked me, how do you keep yourself motivated to go to the gym consistently. This person had clearly not developed a habit of regular exercising yet. Some people say if you do something for 21 days, you have created a new habit. It is unfortunately not as simple as that. If it was, everyone would be thin and we all would be super fit. To create a new habit and make sure it sticks, you have to do this deliberately. You have to break down an old habit and replace it with a better one.
First, you need to understand why you want to break the old habit. Just doing exercises because it is trendy won't hold for long. You need to find some good personal motivators. Getting a better looking body could be a good motivator. Having experienced that you can't keep up with your kids anymore when they are playing in the park, might be an even stronger motivator.
There is no new habit that you like to do the first time you do it. Bob Proctor in his 'Freedom series' describes it as follows: "successful people make a habit of doing things that less successful people don't like to do". This sounds maybe a little harsh but it is absolutely true. Unsuccessful people are often led by things they like to do, successful people on the other hand, are driven by the results they are after and are willing to do things that they (at first) don't like to do.
So in short, for you to keep going consistently and frequently to the gym, you have to have a clear objective in mind, be proud of every achievement you make, keep reciting your personal motivators and don't give up. If you do that, you will find yourself one day, going to the gym because you want to... not because you have to.
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"Be inspired and you shall inspire." ~JD
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