Staying motivated on your fitness journey is something that takes a lot of focus, thoughtfulness, and effort. Just as you have to put in work doing cardio and resistance training, you also have to work on ‘winning the mental game’ as I often put it.
You can know all of the best workouts to do and all of the best foods and supplements to consume, but if you do not win the mental aspect of your fitness journey and lose your motivation, the rest really doesn’t matter. After all, workouts and nutritional strategies are only as good as your ability to consistently do them.
One thing that I recommend to people who ask me for advice about staying motivated and disciplined is to only compare yourself to yourself. Social media is full of fitness influencers who are in outstanding shape, and if you constantly compare yourself to them, you will likely increase your chances of getting discouraged and giving up.
Not to knock that crowd of people, but many of them have physiques that are hard for the average person to achieve, and in some cases, their physiques are impossible to achieve for most people. This is true of online fitness influencers and perhaps some people we know in real life too.
Genetics play a huge role in what someone’s fitness ceiling looks like. Some people are born with better genetics than others, and in many cases, elite fitness influencers have always been in great shape and have never had to claw back from a starting point of being in terrible shape. Your body type is going to play a massive role in your fitness pursuit. Check out a previous article posted on this website to find out what body type you have.
Furthermore, most elite fitness influencers don’t have many of the same life and schedule restrictions that many of us have, and if you are reading this article on a website called ‘Older Muscles,’ chances are you are probably older than most elite fitness influencers and your ability to make fitness gains are not the same as people in their 20s.
Instead of comparing yourself to other people and likely yielding a defeated internal feeling, only compare your current self to your former self. Reflect on how you looked and felt when you started your fitness journey and consider how far you have come.
Think about all of the hard work and sacrifice that you have put in and the progress that you have made. Don’t focus on how much farther you have to go to climb to the top of the metaphorical fitness mountain. Rather, look back on how much of that metaphorical mountain you have already climbed.
When you look at things from that perspective, you will see that you are indeed winning and it will boost your chances of staying motivated. Always value progress over perfection, don’t give up on yourself, and keep going!
***
Disclaimer: The contents of this article and this website are not meant to substitute for the professional advice of a doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer. This content is provided as an educational tool to help people on their fitness journeys. While we strive to research topics as much as possible and provide useful and accurate information to the best of our abilities, we also strongly recommend talking to your doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer before starting any workout, therapeutic, or nutritional regimen, as each individual’s needs and situations vary depending on the person.