{"id":180,"date":"2020-10-23T11:11:36","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T11:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/?p=180"},"modified":"2024-07-03T12:08:06","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T12:08:06","slug":"why-does-exercise-feel-like-a-chore-ensuring-you-have-the-right-motivation-to-conquer-the-everyday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/2020\/10\/23\/why-does-exercise-feel-like-a-chore-ensuring-you-have-the-right-motivation-to-conquer-the-everyday\/","title":{"rendered":"Why does exercise feel like a chore? \u2013 Ensuring you have the right motivation to conquer the everyday!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hi, you lovely people! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week I am giving you my 5 top tips for focusing on motivation \u2013 how to get it and more importantly, how to keep it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Make yourself the priority<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Personally, my motivation came when I realised how poor my health (both physical and mental) had become during lockdown. It took a long look in the mirror to decide that I needed to make myself the priority in my life, which included treating my mind and body with the respect it deserves \u2013 something which I had never done before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Good news though! You don\u2019t need to be in the position I was in before change can occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

     All you have to do is make yourself the most important person in your life. Now, you might be thinking that I\u2019m wrong and the most important person to you is your mum, or brother, or other half, but that\u2019s not what I mean. You can love that person the most, but if you don\u2019t make yourself the priority to grow and develop, how are you ever going to be the best possible version of yourself, for that person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. You are enough<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The first, and hardest, step was to accept that I was enough, even though I was in both a physically and mentally poor state. I used to think that if I accept the way I am, then why would I need to exercise and eat my greens?  It comes down to respect. Just because I am exercising regularly and eating healthier foods it does not mean that I am unhappy with how I look and that I have not actually accepted myself, because I have. However, I (and you) can be so much more than we realise, and I lead the life that I believe will give me the greatest chance of achieving my potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It starts with the decision to embrace change, which is scary as heck! After that it is just little steps. Folding your laundry, going for a walk in the evenings, just getting up on time and making your bed can be so fulfilling. It took me a while to realise that I don\u2019t have to be running every day and maxing out at the gym in order for me to be making progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Deciding what is important to you (goals)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Another thing which has helped me stay on track is understanding myself and my body. To achieve this, I decided to invest in wearable data in the form of a cheap fitness watch (\u00a330). I don\u2019t use it to track calories burned, but for my steps, my heart rate and how much sleep I am getting, because they are what\u2019s important to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        To get sustainable results, you can\u2019t just be told \u201cgo for a run\u201d, you need to have your own reason for making that decision which you can then draw upon to fuel you for a prolonged change. The reason must be important to you. If you say, \u201cBecause I want to feel better\u201d, that\u2019s great, but what does that mean to you because it means something very different to someone else. Be as specific as you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        What are your core values? What do you stand for? If this lifestyle change can connect you to those core beliefs, then you are more likely to invest time, resources and energy into the journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Having goals is important. Conversely, if you are setting vague goals you will only achieve vague results. You need to be specific. By knowing you and what you want will help, and if you don\u2019t know then a self-discovery<\/a> journey might need to happen beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Never compare your journey or progress to someone else\u2019s<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          It is important that you find your own motivation for it to become sustainable. If someone else or an external source has to motivate you, then you aren\u2019t likely to be on your journey for very long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It has to be about your growth and development, and not for the attention or approval of others. In the same way, you cannot compare yourself to somebody else\u2019s journey. We all have different goals and different bodies, so there is no point in getting disheartened when you don\u2019t look like a celebrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Social media is full of air brushed, edited, fine-tuned pictures that can make us feel insecure. But guess what, these people don\u2019t look like that in real life. Own your body, be proud of it, look after it, and nourish it with healthy food and exercise. And stop worrying about getting rid of things that you\u2019ll actually find, most other people don\u2019t care about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Remember – We are human and therefore, flawed<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            You don\u2019t need to have it together all the time \u2013 I ate everything in my house last week, and the old Sophie would have beaten herself up about it for days. However, the Sophie you know today decided not to dwell or worry about it because she is human and progress isn\u2019t linear. The next day I just made sure I was making better decisions, that\u2019s all. The past is the past and you can\u2019t change it, so don\u2019t waste your energy looking back, instead, use it to figure out how you are going to grow from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Realise now that it is all going to take time. We live in an instant world where things happen at a click of a button and many forget that personal growth and development will take time (a lot of time). I anticipate that I won\u2019t achieve my goals for about 8 months (I have just done 2.5 months), however, these are only my short term goals. Patience is key and I realise my journey is for life. I will never stop trying to grow or reach my potential, and neither should you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Have a great day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Soph x<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
            Instagram<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
            YouTube<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
            Facebook<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
            Twitter<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
            TikTok<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
            Our Latest Blog<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Hi, you lovely people!  This week I am giving you my 5 top tips for focusing on motivation \u2013 how to get it and more importantly, how to keep it! Personally, my motivation came when I realised how poor my health (both physical and mental) had become during lockdown. It took a long look in the mirror to decide that I needed to make myself the priority in my life, which included treating my mind and body with the respect it deserves \u2013 something which I had never done before. Good news though! You don\u2019t need to be in the position I was in before change can occur.  All you have to do is make yourself the most important person in your life. Now, you might be thinking that I\u2019m wrong and the most important person to you is your mum, or brother, or other half, but that\u2019s not what I mean. You can love that person the most, but if you don\u2019t make yourself the priority to grow and develop, how are you ever going to be the best possible version of yourself, for that person? The first, and hardest, step was to accept that I was enough, even though I was in both a physically and mentally poor state. I used to think that if I accept the way I am, then why would I need to exercise and eat my greens?  It comes down to respect. Just because I am exercising regularly and eating healthier foods it does not mean that I am unhappy with how I look and that I have not actually accepted myself, because I have. However, I (and you) can be so much more than we realise, and I lead the life that I believe will give me the greatest chance of achieving my potential. It starts with the decision to embrace change, which is scary as heck! After that it is just little steps. Folding your laundry, going for a walk in the evenings, just getting up on time and making your bed can be so fulfilling. It took me a while to realise that I don\u2019t have to be running every day and maxing out at the gym in order for me to be making progress.  Another thing which has helped me stay on track is understanding myself and my body. To achieve this, I decided to invest in wearable data in the form of a cheap fitness watch (\u00a330). I don\u2019t use it to track calories burned, but for my steps, my heart rate and how much sleep I am getting, because they are what\u2019s important to me. To get sustainable results, you can\u2019t just be told \u201cgo for a run\u201d, you need to have your own reason for making that decision which you can then draw upon to fuel you for a prolonged change. The reason must be important to you. If you say, \u201cBecause I want to feel better\u201d, that\u2019s great, but what does that mean to you because it means something very different to someone else. Be as specific as you can. What are your core values? What do you stand for? If this lifestyle change can connect you to those core beliefs, then you are more likely to invest time, resources and energy into the journey.  Having goals is important. Conversely, if you are setting vague goals you will only achieve vague results. You need to be specific. By knowing you and what you want will help, and if you don\u2019t know then a self-discovery journey might need to happen beforehand. It is important that you find your own motivation for it to become sustainable. If someone else or an external source has to motivate you, then you aren\u2019t likely to be on your journey for very long.  It has to be about your growth and development, and not for the attention or approval of others. In the same way, you cannot compare yourself to somebody else\u2019s journey. We all have different goals and different bodies, so there is no point in getting disheartened when you don\u2019t look like a celebrity. Social media is full of air brushed, edited, fine-tuned pictures that can make us feel insecure. But guess what, these people don\u2019t look like that in real life. Own your body, be proud of it, look after it, and nourish it with healthy food and exercise. And stop worrying about getting rid of things that you\u2019ll actually find, most other people don\u2019t care about. You don\u2019t need to have it together all the time \u2013 I ate everything in my house last week, and the old Sophie would have beaten herself up about it for days. However, the Sophie you know today decided not to dwell or worry about it because she is human and progress isn\u2019t linear. The next day I just made sure I was making better decisions, that\u2019s all. The past is the past and you can\u2019t change it, so don\u2019t waste your energy looking back, instead, use it to figure out how you are going to grow from it. Realise now that it is all going to take time. We live in an instant world where things happen at a click of a button and many forget that personal growth and development will take time (a lot of time). I anticipate that I won\u2019t achieve my goals for about 8 months (I have just done 2.5 months), however, these are only my short term goals. Patience is key and I realise my journey is for life. I will never stop trying to grow or reach my potential, and neither should you! Have a great day! Soph x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,2,4],"tags":[13,14,100,99,108,76,106,69,107,97,104,82,8,32,98],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-barriers-in-sport","category-student-journey-stories","category-student-life-stories","tag-aimhigherplus","tag-aimhigherwestmidlands","tag-anxiety","tag-barriersinsport","tag-exersise","tag-mentalhealth","tag-motivation","tag-officeforstudents","tag-selfcare","tag-sport","tag-sportsstudies","tag-studentjourney","tag-studentlife","tag-studentstories","tag-womeninsport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1779,"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions\/1779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-insiders.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}