It's very common for people to get excited about something and jump straight into it with lots of motivation. This is certainly a good thing, because action inspires momentum which makes more action easier. It's much easier to continue taking action (such as exercising or eating right) than it is to start doing it.Marketers are extremely good at persuading us to buy things that will fulfill our dreams or transform our bodies quickly and painlessly. They sell us quick fixes that sometimes inspire immediate action. The action they are concerned with is the purchase transaction, but this does cause a bit of momentum which can lead to a period of dedication to the diet, device, and so forth.
Occasionally doctors and friends can also inspire action, or perhaps it's simply a look in the mirror or a trip up the steps that sends the message. Regardless of how the action starts, it's normal for the motivation to subside day after day until it's dried up and other matters take precedence. This is true for business, hobbies, and other things, but especially for fitness.
It's always important to finish strong instead of simply letting the "project" fade away gradually. You may wonder how you can finish strong in fitness since it’s a lifelong endeavor to live a healthier, sustainable lifestyle…
There are two ways you can practice the Finish Strong motto in your healthy lifestyle. First, is that exercise and nutrition plans should be divided into specific periods each working toward a specific date. Think about an athlete training for a big competition. Training revolves around specific periods all in preparation for peak performance on that date. If you arrange your schedule in 6-12 week periods, you’ll find it much easier to stay motivated.
During the last 2 weeks of training, you’re going to Finish Strong. After that you start over with recovery weeks of lower intensity training, again building up to that strong finish.
The second thing is during each workout you should finish each activity strongly. For example, if doing two minute interval training you should start out with a high intensity and try to maintain that through the whole period. During long intervals like this, if you truly train above your anaerobic threshold your intensity will decrease slowly throughout the interval. When you reach the last 15-30 seconds, be sure to pick it all the way back up to full strength. You know there’s a break in just 15 or 30 seconds, so you can go all out.
Using this approach will help you stay motivated and get into better shape faster. This same approach translates well to business, sports, hobbies, and much more. If you find the motivation to start something, make sure you promise yourself that you'll Finish Strong.
