It is not a secret that physical exercise is essential to feel good. Personally, I believe having a toned, sporty shape is a positive side effect of what daily movement is about. I know that you know (wink to the people out there who recognised the Friends episode) that you feel good after having a workout and moving. So why don’t you commit and do it every day?

Today I would like to talk about why most of us fail to properly motivate ourselves to exercise regularly and how to fix it.

The following has once happened to each of us: we bought fitness memberships, went to several classes, whether it was a gym, a pool or a yoga practice. But then there came a moment when, for some reason, we missed this practice… And the next time… and the next time too. And there were always excuses. The next week came and the class was missed again. A month passed by, a year. It seems that everything is there: membership is bought, beautiful sports uniform is hanging in the closet… There is just one but, there is absolutely zero motivation. Why is that? 

The lack of motivation to exercise may be due to hormonal dysfunction, namely the level of dopamine. Dopamine is a hormone responsible for pleasure and joy in the human body. The release of this hormone into the blood occurs at a time when a person is doing what brings him pleasure. But such a powerful release into the body occurs not only in happy moments. Dopamine is also released when a person is in anticipation of a moment of joy. For example, if you love pizza, then dopamine will be released not only when you eat it, but also when you smell the dish or walk past your favorite pizzeria. It sounds so simple, too simple. 

Truth be told, it is as simple as it sounds!

Since dopamine is mainly produced by a person who is in anticipation of pleasure, people for whom sports, workout and movement do not represent much pleasure find themselves in a problem situation. They are resistant. After all, our body and mind are not stupid, why engage in an activity that won’t make you happy!?

The good news is that exercise itself has a positive effect on dopamine levels. Athletes who train regularly in the gym will confirm that after training they are always in high spirits.

So what’s the secret to motivation?

Motivation will not come to us on its own. We really need to “find” it and look forward to the workout of our choice. To find a workout that you look forward to and it doesn’t have to be the same every single day. Set yourself an opportunity to feel good and go for it. Hold out for two weeks in a regular exercise regime, and then … Perhaps you will like it so much that the very thought of the upcoming workout will become a pleasure and motivation for you!

You only have to give yourself the opportunity to experience pleasure and your brain will be fast to build the association = I feel good before + I feel good during = I feel AWESOME today.

Give yourself 2 weeks to learn to be happy. Are you on board?