Workout & Healthy Eating Motivation

[LfcCharlie4]

Just wanted to make this thread so we could all share motivation for exercise & healthy eating, as it is such a fundamental habit no matter what you are trying to achieve but one many can't seem to crack or fall back into old habits. 

We all know how great working out & eating healthy feels and is for us, but when starting we often need more than that. 

So, share your tips on how to make this a lasting habit, how to get into a routine of working out & any motivation habits you have. 

Of course, discipline always trumps motivation, but it's that first step to building that discipline that is the hardest part, then it becomes as normal as brushing your teeth! 

So, let's help everyone get this foundational habit sorted ti improve every other aspect of life. 

 

[KaRzual]

Well for me it's just a part of life now. I mean - i don't think about motivating myself to eat and go to gym. It's just a habit. And i love it. 

I think for me the greatest motivation is knowing that if i give me best i'll grow my muscles better. I'm a big fan of growing bigger  

[fridjonk]

I'd say the first step would be: You have to really want it.

If you don't want to be healthy enough, you won't really stick with it for more than a week or two. For me, it was a matter of starting simple and being set on exercising at least once a day no matter what. I also found that starting a bunch of challenges at once really helped sustain my workout routine, for example, quitting caffeine, semen retention, waking up at 5 am, etc. I really felt it contributed a bunch to change my life around in all aspects at once. You can get help with external motivation as well, like David Goggins, but you will always have to return inwards and find your own inner drive to keep it going, external motivation only gets you so far. 

Diet-

Not overcomplicating it would be my best diet advice. Just eat semi-healthy in general, drink 2+ liters of water each day, get enough protein and fats in and keep the carbs low. Quitting caffeine as I mentioned before was also a massive plus in my diet. I didn't feel dehydrated all the time, and I felt I could eat healthier more stale food with more joy because my mind wasn't under constant stimulation. 

Routine-

What I did was I found myself a video I could follow along with when I was first starting, which happened to be this awesome Mike Chang flow workout and I just did it every day. I was in great shape about 2 weeks after I started following it. Maybe you want to run or do some sport instead, whatever it is, consistency is key. When you're in shape, it becomes way more fun and enjoyable. 

Cold showers- 

Cold showers are like the steroids to feeling good after a workout. Compare it with Wim hof breathing before entering the shower and holding your breath under the cold water. Start with just 1 minute under the cold then you can increase it slowly. The longer and colder you go, the more present and relaxed you'll become after it. The body relaxation I get after cold showers is second to none, but the mind is very alert and present which is awesome. 

Beware of the trap that is labeling pushing your mind and body as stage Orange. That's not true at all unless you're at that level already. Don't get too spiritual for your own good. 

 

...and don't forget to stretch. 

[Michael569]

Here is your motivation 

 

[DrewNows]

Expanding perspectives, unraveling beliefs and setting clear intentions to real-eyes the energy/power pushed/given away. 
Perspectives are literally weapons (an arsenal) for self actualization.

These two are on ? 
 

[JonasVE12]

For me, in powerlifting, pushing to increase the weight on the bar, and seeing yourself become stronger every workout motivates me to keep going every time. You start to feel more powerful, both in your mind and in your body, and also a bit lighter, sharper and energetic. It becomes a habit and it feels good. Thinking about doing muay thai or MMA, but scared of getting my nose broken. 

[fridjonk]

4 hours ago, JonasVE12 said:

but scared of getting my nose broken. 

Take that fear and throw it in the trash! 

It's very unlikely you'll get your nose broken just by training combat sports, but its a different story if you compete. 

[Michael569]

4 hours ago, JonasVE12 said:

Thinking about doing muay thai or MMA, but scared of getting my nose broken. 

hey man, as someone who has gone through 5 years of muay-thai training I can tell you that these sessions are very safe and I have never been injured besides few bruises from kicks on legs. There are always idiots and fucktards but you can refuse to spar with them. These sports are beautiful if done from the place of genuine curiosity and of wanting to challenge yourself, learn discipline and learn to move your body in new ways. They are beautiful training for your synaptic connections between your cerebellum & prefrontal cortex. 

You don't have to spar if don't want to and everybody has to wear mouthguard, shinguard, gloves & bandages. Even at sparring, most people are fairly gentle and rational as long as you don't go 100%  If you don't want to spar you can always just sign up for conditioning & power workouts. These are absolutely insane but you will build yourself up to ridiculous stamina and resilience. 

MMA is slightly different thou and you have a lot of stage-red people interested in these. It can be very brutal and ruthless and if you are looking for something more sensible, kickboxing is probably the best way or muay Thai if you don't mind a bit more aggressivity, knees & elbows. 

EDIT: in times of corona though, many of these may be off limits but do check with local clubs 

[JonasVE12]

@fridjonk @Michael569 I was going to do it anyway  It's indeed such a beautiful sport and was thinking about doing it for a long time, but never really had the time to do it, because if I do it, I want to commit and this occopies some time of your weekly schedule. I think it's also a matter of finding the right gym with experienced trainers and respectful members. I know there's one in the city I'm going to move to soon which has a very good reputation. I'm planning to compete if I get to the level, so my concerns were more related to actual competing.  I want to do the sport with competing as my goal in mind, but also focus on joy of doing the sport itself. Also a concern of mine is brain damage when engaging in these sports. I think I have very good body awareness, and sports come very easy to me. I have noticed all thoughout my life, I pick up almost any sport intuively and excell at it. So I'm curious how I will do in this sport. I will probably do MMA. I don't mind the fact that I'll get beaten up, but broken bones in my face is another story. Gotta accept that I guess.

Edited October 9, 2020 by JonasVE12

[fridjonk]