How to motivate yourself to and through a fitness plan?

Most people want to work on their fitness levels - lose weight, gain muscle, get fit, gain endurance, develop stamina and so on. The most common goal obviously being the one to lose weight. And also the one most prone to what i call Laziness Inertia.
So, how do you work around that inertia to stay lazy and unfit and motivate yourself enough to take the first step towards a fitter you?
More importantly, how do you motivate yourself through that process once it's begun and avoid it from turning into just another kind of 'failed new year resolution'?

Here are a few things that have always worked for me and for the people I consult:

1. PURPOSE

Define your purpose.
Every mission needs a purpose. You need to be sure of yours. Ask yourself why you want to bring about that change. List down the reasons. Are you tired of being overlooked because you are fat? List that down. Are you unable to go on treks because you are too weak? List that down. List down every goddamn reason you find that is driving you to change, and put up this list at a place you can read it every day.




2. START RIGHT

Get the right support, advice and infrastructure.
Starting off the wrong way is one way guaranteed to kick you back. With more frustration than results. So when you do start, do it right. Join a proper gym with a personal trainer (atleast for the first 3 months - and make sure he/she is a proper certified trainer from a legitimate training institute) if possible. Get a nutrition consultation- It's cheaper than going to a doctor and in my opinion, way more important.


3. GO PUBLIC

Put up your intentions on facebook or among friends.
When you keep your transformation goal a private one, you are more likely to fail it. Because you think 'who the hell knows - so what if I stop my routine - who cares'. This exact mindset back fires on you. When you go public and make your intentions public on Facebook or among friends you'll be surprised to see how many people support you and encourage you! This goes a long way in letting you know at every step that you are on the right track.

A very recent example of is is my Aussie pal 'mothpete' who went public on Facebook about his intentions to take reign of his life again - with regular status updates and results a mapping and pictures of his cheat diets whenever he did cheat, he made his own fitness goal a goal for all his friends to look forward to and talk about. I'm not at all surprised that people were happy to see him fit into his old clothes again on fb :-) I was too :-) (way to go mothy!)
PS: also, if you can, please get a workout buddy who shares the same goals as you. it makes staying on track a way lot easier. 


4. MOTIVATION: the worlds no.1 supplement

Make sure you stay motivated through multiple channels.
Your motivation is your inner fuel that drives you. Which is why you need to make sure it's always replenished. Thanks to the Internet and Facebook, you now have a million more options than just motivational posters and diary cards. Join online fitness communities that keep posting and talking to and about fitness goals and people similar to you. Try www.facebook.com/teamneulife
PS: It may be cheesy, but this works: make a pic of your 'fav and fittest' star your desktop/ phone wallpaper.
The more often you are reminded of where you want to get, the less likely you are to deviate from your plan.


5. SUPPLEMENT
Supplement your efforts.
If you can achieve X, proper supplementation allows you to achieve 2X AND avoid damage! And being able to see those results play a huge role in keeping you motivated.


NOTE: Now, don't get confused between steroids and supplements. Stay away from steroids at all costs. Please.

Get proper advice as to what supplements can help you and take them. Especially in third world countries like India, knowledge of supplements is extremely low. Which is why it becomes important that you take your knowledge and supplements from reliable and trusted sources only. You can try www.neulife.in For a free supplement consultation or call their free helpline on 1800 102 8444.


6. TRACK

Know where and how you're headed.
Professional athletes and businesses track their performance on regular intervals. So should you. Why? Because it not only allows you to derive objective results of your workout, but also fuels and motivates your next one. In case the results are negative, you also immediately realise that something is not right and you can work on fixing that immediately. Crossfitters and Prossional strength Trainers do is all the time. Over time you can see your own performance graph grow and change with you. Trust me, it's a proud feeling.

Follow these 6 steps and your journey to whatever your fitness goal maybe will be a cake walk. yeah right! hell no it wont! it will still be a hard long road uphill - but yes, this will just make it a wee bit easier to stay on that road and not fall off the hill.

best of luck!

- Pushkaraj Shirke