Motivation, its a powerful thing. It keeps you chasing your goals and encourages you to work harder and harder to bring those goals closer. Motivation can come in a variety of forms from direct or indirect influences. Since I've started to really train (16 months ago) people have commented on my commitment and asked me where my motivation and drive comes from. It got me questioning myself and at first I struggled to see what set me apart from a lot of others. I don't see training/dieting as a means to an end, and I absolutely love everything about them. My motivation boils down to the fact that I see this as a lifestyle and not just a chore. That's not just a self centred and narcissistic claim, take a moment to think about some big fitness icons. They love to train in the same way that any sports people love to train. They do this because they want to and not because they have to.
A phrase that always rang true for me was 'A Product of My Environment' I first heard this from Fitness Made EZ (Paul Corkery) and its a term that needs little analysis but has rather a strong meaning. Everyone is a product of their environment in some way or another. What if you constructed your own environment? By this I mean that you could surround yourself with people and communities that support and reinforce your own goals. Find those positive influences that encourage you to make that change for the better and connect with them. The fitness community is vast and usually extremely welcoming (in my experience). If you put in the work to surround yourself with these influences then you will definitely reap the rewards.
One thing that I've always been guilty of is beating myself up about my appearance and if it weren't for the people around me I'd still see myself in the same way. Its hard to see your own progress when you're so used to looking at yourself in a mirror on a daily basis. Pictures can help, but I prefer to rely on the input of friends and family. I've become so frustrated at points after months of clean eating and hard training and not seeing a difference, it took an outsider's view to make me realise that I'd made a lot more progress than I'd first thought.
So, the bottom line? Motivation can come from anywhere, but it doesn't just appear out of nowhere. You have to put in the effort to find your positive influences and to adapt your mindset. At first it all might seem like a chore, but give it a chance - you might learn to love it.
This is the part that I love the most, the name dropping. Like I said, you have to find your own inspiration; but maybe you could start by looking at who inspired me. In the beginning I had one single inspiration in the form of Fitness Made EZ - Paul Corkery (@Fitnessmadeez on Twitter and Facebook). I've learned a lot from him thanks to his non-bullshit, tenacious and active approach. As both a fitness source and a fighter, his input and support have been a huge help to me and he continues to be one of the big influences on my lifestyle. Next are the guys over at BodyActive. They included me in their community and offered me so much support and even gave me the opportunity to blog on their website (which I'd love to do on a regular basis), frankly I'm humbled to be a part of that community. Icon Nutrition have also been a huge influence, especially lately. They're amazing to interact with, always there to offer their input and they have a great team of athletes to help with that. Also they happen to make some of the most amazing supplements that I've ever tried. Kavan Byrne also provided some specific input, I had trouble training certain areas and he pointed me in the right direction and had me making gains again. I also recently discovered Emmy Glover's blog (lovelaughandlift.blogspot.co.uk) which is actually a really refreshing and balanced view on training and a healthy lifestyle, and I look forward to reading more of her posts.
That's all from me for now! Hopefully I'll be able to get some more posts up soon. Make sure to check out everyone that I've mentioned and see for yourself why I rate them so highly. As always, if you've got any questions then you can catch me on Twitter (@Wrighty__).
