When Good Health Isn't Motivation Enough

Keeping fit doesn't have to be a chore but oftentimes it is, particularly for working stiffs like me and the millions of others with limited time on their hands. After a long day, does anyone really want to exercise? And by exercising, I don't mean performing a few reps over here and bouncing around on the equipment over there between extended chatting and texting sessions. I'm talking about a focused workout - one as free from distraction as possible - which is part of a larger plan to take you someplace you want to be.

Exercising for good health is mandatory, but let's face it, even for those of us for whom good health should always be of the utmost concern, it does not always provide enough motivation to overcome the anchor of inertia or the inspiration necessary to carry us through a grueling workout. Good health is just a little too generic for this purpose. It is a desirable personal goal everyone should have, much like profit is a fiscal goal every business should have. And just as every sale benefits the bottom line, every workout we complete positively contributes to our health. But just as business puts in place a multitude of markers during the fiscal year to gauge performance and maintain focus, I find that having more immediate goals helps keep the fire burning in my belly, so to speak.

This being fall, I have a lot of hiking and backpacking on the calendar. I don't ever want to read a trail description and shy away because it sounds too challenging. In fact, I want to hike the more strenuous trails. After all, due to their difficulty, these are usually the least traveled trails, providing the hiker with the most solitude and, frequently, the best scenery. To successfully negotiate these trails and simultaneously enjoy the experience - not to mention my job performance come Monday morning - I must be in strong physical condition.

For me, the hiking and backpacking trips I have penciled in are akin to a company's weekly or monthly sales goals. The company plans and implements the sales stategies it believes will allow it to achieve its goals. At the same time, I plan and follow through on a conditioning program I believe will give me the strength and endurance to complete my scheduled outings. These hikes are my short-term goals, and they provide me with the motivation I need to carry out the hard work of exercise.

Having these clearly defined, tangible goals helps make exercise feel less like a chore - a chore which, like all chores, can be put off indefinitely. Instead of feeling like we're performing just another dreaded task with a payback that can sometimes seem too distant or even unreachable, our training becomes an integral part of a process providing us with appropriate and timely feedback. These shorter cycles narrow our focus, providing us a sense of immediacy, which helps win the ongoing battle over inertia and gives us the motivation to reach back for that little extra effort we frequently need in our workout routines.        

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