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Get Motivated for the New Year

By Bridget Avila

Have you ever noticed that when your spouse reminds you that the piece of chocolate cake you’re eyeing will get in the way of your fitness goals you consider it nagging, but if the same reminder comes from someone further removed from your personal life you consider it motivational advice? Recently there was a story on the radio about how a college professor turned that discrepancy to his advantage by hiring a student to nag him—or remind him—about staying on track to lose weight.

Sure, the professor’s case may seem a little extreme, but at this time of year, when so many of us are filled with aspirations to get fit and get healthy in the new year, word of new incentives to do that can cause our ears to perk up. But how do we go about incorporating those changes into a lifestyle? How do we start, and when we’re ready to give up, how do we stay motivated? What’s the incentive to stick to it?

A Triathlon? Are You Crazy?

In 2008 I completed my first two triathlons—the first races of any type in which I’d competed in 10 years. People often ask me why I’d ever want to do a triathlon. In all honesty, I still can’t fully articulate an answer. I think I was ready for a big challenge. I wanted to transform myself.

I was probably fitter than the average American when I registered for the Aflac Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon last year, but the thought of such a long event still scared me. It was my New Year’s resolution for 2008, and it proved to be a huge challenge for me, probably more mentally than physically. Truth is, I would never have turned that goal into a reality if I hadn’t had the continual motivation of my personal trainer. But not losing face to all the people I’d told about the race was also a huge incentive. Hmmm … .

Figure Out Your “Why”

Knowing exactly why you want to get fit or make healthy changes is fundamental to making changes that will stick. Did your doctor tell you to lose weight to get ready for bypass surgery? Do you want to look good in a swimsuit? Do you want to be able to keep up with your kids? Do you want to compete in a race? Do you just want to feel better as you go through your day, or simply feel better about yourself?

As my trainer puts it, it’s essential to examine the why behind your decision to work out. True transformation requires a clear understanding of what validates you, whether that’s setting a good example for your kids or beating your personal record in a five-kilometer race.
Identifying your personal incentives is key, but identifying your personal obstacles to fitness is important as well. Michael Gerrish is the author of The Mind-Body Makeover Project: A 12-Week Plan for Transforming Your Body and Your Life and When Working Out Isn’t Working Out: A Mind-Body Guide to Conquering Unidentified Fitness Obstacles. He is also a former fitness consultant for the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins.

He outlines several ”UFOs,” or unidentified fitness obstacles, that can interfere with your well-laid plans to get fit. These can include hormone imbalance, depression, food allergies, anxiety, and even perfectionism. Gerrish explains, “Getting motivated to exercise has more to do with identifying the underlying blocks that are preventing you from finding the energy and motivation to exercise than it does with finding the right exercise or the right means of getting motivated.”

Gerrish encourages those who are struggling with motivation to examine and identify their personal obstacle (he has developed a UFO test to help determine them), and then conquer it. Once you have accomplished that, you are better able to reach your fitness goal. Easier said than done, but worth looking into if you feel something is keeping you from getting started.

Tried-and-True Incentives

Once you’ve identified your motivation and any obstacles you might have, these tips can help you succeed.

Don’t go it alone. You cannot overestimate the value of having another person next to you cheering you on, waiting for you to show up, or ready to commiserate with you when the going gets tough. Working out in a group can make exercise feel more like fun and encourage you to show up. And just committing to work out with a friend or partner rather than going it alone can be an incentive to get moving. I can recall several days in my triathlon training last summer when I probably would have skipped a bike ride or swim if I had planned to do it on my own. The practice triathlons I scheduled with friends were the ones I stuck to—even when that meant swimming in the chilly Chesapeake Bay or running in 90 percent humidity.

Find a workout you like. Always, always, always make sure your health care provider approves your exercise program. Once any limitations or parameters have been established you can start exploring.

Your personal goals also determine what are the best types of activities for you. Whatever your preference, you can find an exercise that you like. If you dread running on the treadmill, well, you’re not very likely to run on the treadmill.

Look for activities you’ll enjoy, and you’re more likely to stick with them. The training I do is in a group setting, with a boot camp-meets-yoga feel. I love the rigor and intensity, but the pushups and yelling are not for everyone. Working with a trainer works best if you find one whose temperament matches your own.

Carry your fitness goals with you throughout the day. Fitness isn’t just about staying at the gym. My trainer likes to say that fitness is 10 percent workouts and 90 percent food. That’s why it’s not at all uncommon to see heavy runners and other athletes. A workout might take an hour or so of our day, but we make food choices every day…all day.

Unlikely Incentives for Getting in Shape

Economists say that the average person will work harder to prevent losing money than to earn it. Richard McKenzie, author of Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies, put that behavioral pattern to the test in working to reach his own weight loss goals. He agreed (by witnessed contract) to pay $500 to a friend if he did not lose 9 pounds in 10 weeks.
Betting against yourself may seem a little outlandish, but McKenzie says that the threat of losing money changed the way he thought about diet and exercise. He started making changes right away. He joined a gym, and instead of a morning breakfast of a bagel and a grande drip at Starbucks he had a bowl of oatmeal at a local cafeteria. In economist-speak, “The weight-loss pact increased the effective price of the calorie-laden bagels and lowered the effective price of the calorie-light bowls of oatmeal [and the gym membership],” he says. “Similarly, the $500-payment threat increased the effective prices of fries, hamburgers, and chips and dip while lowering the effective prices of raw oysters, broiled fish, and snack packs of carrots. During the contract period, I ate more spinach salads than I ever ate on any other weight-loss program, which was to be expected from the first principle of economics—that price and quantity consumed are inversely related. When the effective price of salads falls, the number of them consumed can be expected to rise.”

Ian Ayres, a professor at Yale Law School, signed a contract with friend and colleague Dean Karlan. He agreed to pay Karlan $500 per week every time he failed to meet his goal weight for that period. Karlan would then turn the money over to the charity of his choice. They call these contracts “commitment contracts.” Ayres never once had to pay up. He met his weight loss goals and maintained them—something he hadn’t been able to do before.
Karlan and Ayres developed a Website, www.stickK.com, to facilitate such personal commitment contracts for weight loss and other types of personal goals. Registration is free, and if you don’t live up to your end of the contract, StickK will give your money to charity or a person you designate. The professors hope to ultimately make money through advertising on the site.

Commitment contracts don’t have to be about weight loss, either. Lisa Sanders, a physician who writes a health column for the New York Times Magazine, maintains a pact to stop smoking. She and a friend promise that if either of them smokes a cigarette she will pay the other $5,000. The original deal was set at $1,000, but they upped the amount at risk as their wealth increased. It’s been more than 20 years since they made the pact, but they keep it in place, just in case one of them slips.

Do the Work

You’ve set your goals and figured out why you want to get fit. Now comes the work. Make a commitment to yourself by scheduling workouts just like any other appointment you would keep. Find a gym or fitness center that’s convenient to you so exercise can more easily become an integral part of your day. When other activities start tempting you to skip a workout here and there, visualize yourself walking into the gym, having a great workout, and leaving with the feeling of having taken a positive step toward optimal health. Make a bet with a friend if you need to. Just stick to it! It’s a new year—resolve to be the healthiest and fittest you that you can be, and I’ll look for you at the finish line.

Bridget Avila, a non-lonely long-distance runner (thanks to her trainer and workout pals), is a frequent contributor to the health section.

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