How do I use achievement motivation to exercise?

Have you ever tried consistently going to the gym but you just couldn't find the motivation to go? What if you set a small, manageable goal first like going twice a week? Once you've accomplished that, you can increase your goal by a day until you've got yourself a consistent gym schedule!

This is achievement motivation. Here's how you can use it to make those exercise goals happen.

Achievement motivation is "the tendency to strive for success or attain a desirable goal." This usually refers to a goal that you set standards for and can be evaluated.

It is important to note that the ways and needs for motivation vary from person to person, and with different situations.

Example

Sarah wants to increase her stamina by running. She makes her first goal to run for 10 minutes every morning.

Once she is able to complete that with ease, she increases her goal time to 20 minutes. When Sarah is able to run for 20 minutes, she feels accomplished.

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If you're a fitness beginner, you may want to hold off on strenuous or difficult exercises. Picking a hard goal first could result in you not making any progress. It could also lead to injury or burnout. Try easier or shorter exercises first until you get comfortable enough to kick it up a notch.

Remember: with achievement motivation, accomplishing smaller goals first can lead you to bigger ones later on.

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Since three times a week is the goal, you could try tracking with a calendar:

1. Mark each day visited.

2. At the end of each week, you'll have a physical marker of your achievement.

Missing a day won't be the end of the world, or the end of your goal. Once you build the habit, it will be easier to keep it going. This will eventually lead to your goals being more attainable!

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• Time spent at the gym

• Changes in diet

• Which exercises work for you

At the end of every week, write down how much you can lift. Eventually, you'll be able to see how much you've progressed since the start!

You could also track your progress digitally by taking pictures or videos that show how much you've improved.

Dean wants to lose 10 lbs in 6 weeks through exercise. He's not very experienced with exercise routines.

How can he use achievement motivation to meet his exercise goal? Select all that apply:

A. Try to lose it all in the first 2 weeks, then aim for 20 lbs of weight loss for the rest of the month.

B. Start with the most difficult exercises.

C. Aim for 1-2 lbs each week for the first 2 weeks.

D. Move the goal to 2-3 lbs per week after 2 weeks of success.

With the right goals and achievement motivation, you'll be able to make your fitness dreams a reality. And you can use this list to help you get started!