REPers, what’s going on?! Question for you to ask yourself, your athletes and students: What is your motivation for fitness?

You’re likely to get a variety of responses:

• I want to have a 6 pack
• I want to make the school basketball team
• I want to be the fastest kid in my grade 
• I want bigger muscles

We’ve talked about goals but what about the motivation or the desire behind those goals?

Yes, you should exercise, you need to exercise, you want to want to exercise, but do you have a desire for exercise?

Motivation can be split into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic. Let’s explore the two.

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfaction rather than for some separable consequence. When intrinsically motivated, a person is moved to act for the fun or challenge entailed rather than because of external products, pressures, or rewards. Some intrinsic motivators to exercise include improved health, enhanced personal skill and ability, increased energy, and decreased stress. Internal motivators typically produce a longer lasting commitment to exercise. 

Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation is defined as a motivation to participate in an activity based on meeting an external goal, garnering praise and approval, winning a competition, or receiving an award or payment. Unfortunately, body-related motives are not usually enough to maintain a regular exercise program, and, therefore, should not be made the most important reasons for engaging in exercise.

Examples of extrinsically motivated exercisers could be those who are inspired to begin an exercise program with the promise that it will help them lose weight. As there are many factors attributed to weight loss, some students or athletes often become unmotivated and drop out of an exercise program because they no longer see the reward of weight loss for their effort.

Motivation is just one part of becoming an exerciser and it’s probably the one thing we struggle with most when we’re just getting started. Rather than letting that motivation fade away, think about what it is you really want for yourself beyond weight loss and looking good.

People who exercise look for reasons to do it because they know it makes life better. Think about what would make life better and you will find the motivation to keep pushing forward!